


A New World

by Sparky1994



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abuse, F/M, Friendship, Slow Burn, Starts series 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:18:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 105,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9533486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparky1994/pseuds/Sparky1994
Summary: Kat has been locked in a basement for several months. She is found by Daryl Dixon and faces a shock when she goes back out into the world to find that the zombie apocalypse has happened. Will the new world make or break her? Daryl/OC fic





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC. All rights belong to AMC and Robert Kirkman.

Kat ran as fast as she could. She dodged and weaved the trees as they seemed to reach out to slow her escape. She had to get away; the monster was catching up. The branches scratched at her arms and face and caught on her clothing, leaving behind tears in her skin and clothes.

She was panting hard and beginning to tire. Adrenalin had initially taken over to push her to move faster but she was fatiguing quickly due to the small amount of food she had consumed over the last week. She did not know if she would have the energy to get somewhere she could get help. She didn't even know where the nearest help would be. She was in the middle of the woods and knew that no one lived for miles around. Anywhere would be better than where she was coming from. She had to find someone that would help her, anyone. She would need to find somewhere safe that she could lay low. She cursed that she had gotten away with nothing but the clothes on her back.

All of a sudden she caught her foot on the root of a tree and went crashing onto the forest floor. Pain shot up her leg from her ankle. There was no way she was going to be able to continue running now. She remained still for a moment; listening intently to see if she had outrun her pursuer. A slow rustling came towards her. Luck was not with her that night as she watched the monster appear through the trees, the evil eyes intent on her as she was sprawled on the forest floor. The monster had her in its clutches.

*****

Kat struggled in his grip. She would not go back without a fight. He dragged her forcefully back through the forest, her attempts to get free diminished by how exhausted she was and the pain still radiating from her ankle. Eventually the small house came back into view; her prison. She was shoved through the door and heard him click the lock behind them with an awful sense of finality. After her escape attempt, she knew that it would be difficult for her to get another chance to leave.

He kept his painful grip on her arm and led her down the corridor. Despite his silence she could feel the rage emanating from him. However, he did not lead her back to her room as she had expected. He carried on to the door near the stairs. Kat renewed her struggles.

'No! No! You can't put me down there!' she struggled and yelled. Her yelling would not help. She was too weak to fight back against him and there was no one to hear her cries. He opened the door and pushed her through it. Unable to stop herself, she tumbled down the stairs.

'You stay there until you learn to appreciate the roof over your head, you ungrateful bitch' he yelled down to her. He then turned and locked yet another door, creating more obstacles for her to escape.

She stayed still for a while, afraid that she had seriously injured herself in the fall. She took stock of all of her body parts and was grateful that she seemed to have not injured herself too badly. She would be bruised and the fall had done nothing for her ankle. She slid herself back into a corner of the small room. She hated it down here. It was an underground storm cellar. It was small but had all the essentials within it. A small cot, stocks of canned food and bottled water, some first aid equipment and various other bits and pieces. The light had not worked for several years. You could hear nothing of the outside world down there. It was dark and quiet. She always felt so isolated down here. She would not let him break her spirit, she would keep fighting and eventually escape the abuse her father subjected her to. She would not be his punching bag for much longer.

*****

Kat woke with a jump from the small cot as the door to the cellar slammed open. Although the storm cellar had been installed with the intention of having the lock on the inside, her father had quickly changed that shortly after she became the outlet for his anger after her mother left him. He appeared silhouetted in the doorway with his shotgun in his hand.

'Is that you making a racket down there?' he yelled menacingly. 'If you don't shut up, I'll come down there and make ya be quiet'.

'What?' Kat asked, confused. She was treading a fine line between not wanting to be punished for something she hadn't done but not wanting to say much in case anything she said angered him further.

He looked as if he was about to say something to her but stopped and turned his head to the side, listening to something that Kat could not hear from the cellar. 'You stay down here and keep yer trap shut' he snarled before slamming the door shut, leaving her in darkness again. He had clearly heard someone near the house.

Kat realised that if someone was near the house, it might mean someone could help her. She pushed herself off the cot and painfully managed to limp up the stairs. She began banging as hard as she could on the door and shouting, hoping that someone could help her. She knew that she risked being savagely beaten by her father on his return but it was worth the risk.

'Let me out! I'm down here! Get me out of here!' she screamed at the top of her lungs. No one was coming for her.


	2. Chapter 1

Kat heard a floorboard creak overhead and froze at the sudden sound. She stopped scratching at the wall and listened carefully. She had been scratching another mark on to her tally chart. After the day that her father had gone to investigate the noise with his shotgun, he had never returned. At first she had just thought it was part of her punishment for trying to escape, that he was leaving her down here for longer. She wasn't too worried as her father had always been quite paranoid and had stockpiled food and water in the storm shelter. She had plenty of food to keep her going. However, time had passed slowly and after what felt like weeks and there being still no sign of her father, then she began to worry. She began to ration the food and water and started to scratch the tally chart of days she thought she had been down here. She kept fairly good track at first, however as her food rations began to get smaller and smaller, she became more lethargic and she had no idea how long she slept for. It was difficult to distinguish day and night down here. She had finally run out of food 13 days ago. By her calculations, she had been down here roughly 4 and a half months. If she didn't get out soon she would die down here.

Kat had thought about her death a lot over the last few months. She was a far cry from the girl with the fighting spirit that had been locked down here. She was broken. Months living in the dark and silence had truly broken her, physically and emotionally. Her once lovely long blonde hair was now matted, greasy and hung limply down her back. The lack of food had skeletonised her once muscular and healthy form. Her eyes had sunken and now looked huge and gaunt in her face. However, the emotional scars were the worst. With nothing else to occupy her, she would spend hours replaying scenes of her father's abuse in her head. She had begun to believe that maybe she had done something to deserve it. Why else would a parent turn on their child? She had often thought about ending it all but never actually had. She both longed to escape the basement but the thought also now terrified her; the darkness had become her friend.

She froze again when the floorboards creaked once more. This happened sometimes when the house seemed to adjust to the weather, however this seemed different. This sounded like someone moving overhead. Kat slid off the bed and pushed herself against the wall under the bed. She could stay here until it all went away. She would be safe here in the darkness. The door to the basement rattled as if someone was struggling with the lock. She pushed herself more firmly against the wall and in the shadows where hopefully no one would see her. The lock finally gave way and the door was pushed open and slammed into the wall. A knock sounded on the door at the top of the stairs. Everything fell silent for a moment as if the person at the door expected an answer. Kat remained as quiet as humanly possible, trying not even to breathe too loudly.

'Jesus! It stinks down here' a man's voice cursed. The man found the light switch and flicked it several times to no avail. 'Hey, Glenn man! I need a hand down here!' More footsteps could be heard approaching. 'Looks like a storm shelter or somethin'. Could have some useful stuff down there.'

'We need those crutches for Hershel though. That's our priority' another male voice, obviously Glenn said sternly.

'You never know what kinda shit people keep in their basements. We'll never know unless we have a look. Doesn't seem to be any walkers down there. The light's busted though. Cover me with the torch and I'll go down and have a look' the first voice replied. Kat could see that a torch had been turned on and a small amount of light shone down into the cellar. From her position under the bed she could just see some legs appear at the bottom of the stairs and start to walk around, taking stock of what was down here.

'Looks like someone was down here for a while. The food all seems to be gone. There's a bit of water left. Some first aid stuff we can take back. Someone was using the drain in the corner as a bathroom. I'm thinkin' that's what the smell is' the first man narrated. The second man, Glenn had come down the stairs and was starting to pile some of the supplies near the stairs.

'Daryl, something bad happened here. There are scratch marks on the back of the door. Someone tried to get out and it looks like there's blood on that wall' Glenn said, shining the light at the wall near the bed. Kat stopped breathing as both men approached the bed. 'It's some kind of tally chart scratched in the wall with the blood'

'Someone didn't care that they were tearing their fingers up…. Shit!' Daryl cursed suddenly, pulling back away from the wall.

'What?' Glenn replied alarmed at the cursing.

'That blood there is still wet. I unlocked the door from the outside. Whoever was down here… well, they're still here' Daryl warned. The clicking of a gun being loaded echoed through the small room. The flashlight began to illuminate areas of the room where someone might be hiding, finding no one, until it finally landed on the bed.

'Come out!' Daryl yelled. Kat did nothing. She was too scared to move. Glenn crouched down towards the floor and shone the light under the bed. The light was blinding after so many months of darkness and Kat threw her arm across her eyes to protect them and groaned quietly in pain.

'Walker! Poor bitch must have been locked down here. We'll put her out of her misery' Daryl declared, hearing the groan, and aimed his crossbow at the bed.

'No! Wait!' yelled Glenn. 'She's alive!' Kat had started to peer around her arm. Still too scared to move.

'Get out from under the bed' Daryl commanded threateningly. Kat could do nothing but whimper in fear and press herself more firmly against the wall.

'Daryl, knock it off. She's terrified!' Glenn warned. 'Hey, I'm Glenn and this is Daryl. We just want to ask you a few questions. Then we'll leave you alone if you want us to. I promise. Just come on out from under there and we can talk.' Glenn extended a hand towards her in order to help her slide out from under the bed. There was something non-threatening about Glenn that made Kat want to trust him but she was still terrified. However, she didn't have many options and so she reached out and took the offered hand.

'Jesus' Daryl whispered as both he and Glenn finally saw Kat for the first time. They took in how emaciated she looked. They also couldn't ignore the stench that came from her which declared how long she had been down here without a shower and proper bathroom. Where once she had obviously been a pretty girl, she was now the closest Daryl had ever seen a living person look like a walker. 'What's your name?'

'Kat' she whispered, her voice hoarse from disuse.

'How long have you been down here?' Glenn asked kindly. Kat didn't reply just gestured her head towards the tally chart.

'How did you end up down here?' Glenn asked.

'My dad locked me down here. He went off to investigate a noise in the woods and never came back' she mumbled.

Glenn walked closer to Daryl and began whispering to him so that Kat couldn't overhear. 'She's been down here for at least 4 months. Maybe we should offer to take her back with us. She clearly needs help.'

'At least she had shelter for 4 months. We were wondering round in the wilderness for those months after we left the farm. Her daddy obviously went out to take down a walker and never made it back' Daryl replied.

'I broke my leg once' Kat muttered quietly, seemingly out of nowhere.

'Great, we had to find a fuckin crazy one' Daryl muttered.

Kat locked eyes with him, a spark of defiance seemed to flash through them before it was replaced with fear again. 'Crutches' she said. 'You were talking about them earlier. They should be upstairs in my Dad's closet. You'll have to bust the lock off to get in.' Glenn smiled kindly at her, while Daryl just seemed to stare at her in shock and suspicion. Glenn raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking for permission to ask her back to the prison and Daryl gave a small nod in return.

'We have a safe place where we and some others are staying. We have women and children with us. We have food, water, beds. We can protect you and offer you someplace safe to stay. You'd have to pull your weight though' Glenn started encouragingly.

'She don't weigh nothing' Daryl scoffed.

'I mean you'd have to do chores and things. Help us out where you can. Once you feel a bit better of course' Glenn clarified with a roll of his eyes in Daryl's direction.

Kat hesitated and looked between the two men stood in front of her. Glenn seemed friendly enough. She didn't know what to make of Daryl though. He looked very intimidating but at least he looked like he would be able to protect her in case her father returned. This is what she assumed the men meant when they offered her protection. Her options were to go with them or resign herself to die in this basement. She wasn't strong enough to walk miles through the woods to get somewhere for help alone. She offered Glenn a small nod and he smiled at her once again.

Daryl and Glenn packed all of the leftover supplied from the cellar into large duffle bags that they were carrying and Daryl disappeared upstairs to grab the crutches. Kat took a while to acclimatise herself to the light and openness.

'We have a car parked on the dirt road just over there. Come on, let's go' Daryl stated. He picked up a bag with one end and his crossbow, still loaded, occupied the other. Glenn opened the door and Kat walked outside for the first time in 4 and a half months. She stopped and took in the noise and the fresh air. She'd forgotten how good it felt.

'Walkers' Daryl warned, glancing back at Glenn and Kat. Glenn pulled a spare pocketknife out of his pocket and thrust it into Kat's hands with a nod. Kat looked confused. She had no idea what he thought she was going to do with this. She looked up as a rustling sound was heard through the trees ahead, in the direction Daryl had said the car was in. 10 people appeared out of the trees, groaning and moaning. Kat trembled in fear, several of these people were missing limbs or had bits of entrails hanging out of them. They were clearly not alive. What the hell had happened while she was locked in that basement?

Daryl and Glenn has meanwhile forged ahead and began taking down these zombies with their weapons. A few crossbow bolts went flying, with Daryl choosing to take other zombies down just by stabbing them with a spare arrow. Glenn was taking others down with just a hunting knife. Kat had frozen and hadn't moved forward with the men. A zombie happened to sneak around the edge of the house, being drawn to the fight by the noise, and came up behind Kat. She screamed as it approached her and dropped the knife on the floor.

Daryl noticed that the girl was in trouble first and managed to fight his way towards her. He pushed her behind his back and took out the zombie with an arrow. Glenn had managed to kill the remaining zombies in the meantime.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' snarled Daryl. 'Ya never killed a walker before? Always had someone to protect and baby ya? Keep ya from gettin' your hands dirty?'

'You saved my life' Kat mumbled, on the verge of a mental breakdown. She had no idea what those things were but one of them had just tried to kill her. This was a completely new world to the one she had left behind when she was locked in that cellar. 'What were those things? They were zombies?'

'What?' Daryl stopped and stared her intensely in the eyes. He seemed to be trying to figure out whether she was telling the truth. Had she really no idea about the walkers? Daryl realised she was telling the truth when tears began running down her cheeks. He had no idea how to deal with a crying girl. He patted her shoulder a bit harder than intended and she stumbled slightly. She looked up in panic, at first seeming to think he intended to harm her but realised at his sheepish smile that he had been intending to comfort her in his own way. She smiled slightly back at him and the tears stopped as she calmed down.

'You mean you've never seen a walker before? If you were only in the basement for 4 months, then you should have known about walkers for at least another 4 months before then. Did you not hear about it on the news or radio?' Glenn quizzed her.

'I never watched television or listened to the radio' she mumbled back, trying not to let on to her living conditions before the apocalypse.

'They're pretty isolated out here. The walkers might not have ventured out this far, at least before the last 4 months' Daryl reasoned. 'Come on, we'll fill you in durin' the car ride.'

They packed the supplies into the car before setting off. Glenn and Daryl filled Kat in on everything about the walkers and the apocalypse. Daryl answered questions with brutal honesty, whereas Glenn tried to break it to her as gently as possible that the world she knew no longer existed and this new world was infinitely more dangerous.


	3. Chapter 2

They drove for what seemed like a long time to Kat and in the meantime Daryl and Glenn gave her a crash course on 'walkers'. Her head was spinning with all of the new information. They tried to break it to her gently that her father had probably gone to investigate noise caused by the walkers and got himself eaten. She was secretly quite pleased that his end wasn't peaceful but she didn't want these people to think she was crazy or violent and leave her in the middle of nowhere, she was just pleased that karma seemed to be a real thing. Daryl and Glenn took her silence to mean that she was silently processing the death of her father. They approached the prison and Daryl, who was driving, began to slow the car down to give the others inside time to open the gates.

'You live in a prison?' Kat questioned, looking sceptical. Maybe she would be safer alone if she was going to be taken to live with a group of convicts.

'Yeah. Safest place with the fences. We cleared it out' Daryl stated.

'Don't worry. There's only two convicts there and I promise that they are harmless. They're segregated in another part of the prison anyway. You shouldn't run into them much' Glenn promised. She nodded at him but remained unsure.

They passed through an initial gate and then through a second and Daryl pulled the car slowly into the yard. The gates closed behind them and Kat shuffled nervously in the backseat. There were several people who had gathered in the yard to see what Glenn and Daryl had brought back from their scavenging trip. No one was expecting them to have brought back a person.

'Stay here for a moment' Glenn told her before both he and Daryl exited the car.

A young woman ran towards Glenn and embraced him tightly. Kat gave a small smile at the love she could clearly see between them. It was nice to know that those kinds of things still existed despite the rest of the world going to shit. Daryl was greeted by a man and an older woman, the woman gently touching his arm to welcome him back. Daryl didn't strike Kat as a touchy-feely kind of person.

*****

Rick greeted both Daryl and Glenn as they got out of the car. 'How'd it go? Any problems?'

'Not really. Got little bits of food and medicine. We got the crutches' Daryl said.

'We also… picked up something extra' Glenn said slowly, his arm wrapped firmly around Maggie's waist.

'You mean the girl sat in the back of the car' Carol asked, looking past them at Kat.

'What? You brought someone back? We can barely feed the people we've got already! And how do you know she's not dangerous?' Rick blurted out all at once, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. They had enough problems as it was. This they could do without. 'Just let her know we'll give her a bit of food and water and she can take her chances out there. We just don't have the resources. The people we've already got are our first priority.'

'Rick, we can't do that to her. If we had any other choice we wouldn't have brought her back here. She's in a really bad shape. She was locked in a basement before she heard about the walkers. Me and Daryl just explained everything to her in the car. She wouldn't survive a day out there alone' Glenn reasoned.

'She could be lying' Rick struggled.

'She's not' Daryl interjected. 'Just wait till ya see her. She's all skin and bones. She needs help Rick'.

Rick knew that it was serious if Daryl was making a case for her. He was still struggling with the issue. Once the food from the prison cafeteria was gone, they would be struggling to provide for the people they already had at the prison. These people were his family and he needed to put them first, especially with a baby on the way. However, he couldn't help but think that this girl was in a similar position to him when he first woke up from his coma. If it hadn't been for Morgan he would have died. This girl needed someone to do the same thing for her. 'Ok. We can take her in. She'll have to pitch in though. We're not taking on dead weight.'

'I already told her that. She won't be able to help much at first. She barely looks as though she can remain standing for long but she'll help once she's better' Glenn said. He walked back to the car and opened the door and helped Kat out. Everyone in the yard was shocked by the appearance of the frail girl.

Rick started striding towards her to greet her. Kat panicked due to the man approaching her and tried to back away. She tripped over the back of her jeans and went tumbling backwards on to the floor. Glenn tried to help her but she scooted back away from him in her panic. The only thing registering in her head was to protect herself from the beating that was sure to come.

'Rick!' yelled Carol. Her yell stopped his approach and she pulled him to the side. 'Why don't I try to talk to her first? She might prefer to talk to a woman.' Rick nodded in agreement, slightly confused, and Carol slowly began to approach the woman cowering on the floor.

'She was fine with me before' Glenn said quietly, backing away from Kat, also confused by her reaction.

'She's just been confronted by several new people. She's probably panicking a lot right now' Carol explained. She then left the rest of the group behind and crouched down to talk to Kat. She placed her hand on Kat's arm gently. She felt the woman flinch for a second and then relax. 'Hi honey. I'm Carol. We're going to look after you here. What's your name?'

'Kat' she replied in a barely audible voice, her panic subsiding slightly.

'Well, Kat, the men over there would like to talk to you quickly if that's ok?' Carol said. She watched as Kat tensed up again at the idea of the men talking to her. She could recognise an abused woman when she saw one 'You don't like the men do you? I didn't either. I'm stronger now.' Kat looked up in surprise. The look of understanding on Carol's face told her that Carol knew the sort of things that had happened to her, Carol had experienced them herself.

'Come on. We'll go talk to them and then I'll take you to get cleaned up' Carol offered a hand to help Kat up off the floor. The young woman took it and slowly stood, although it seemed to require a lot of effort. Kat brought out the motherly side of Carol, this girl needed someone to take care of her.

A strong grip stopped Carol as she had begun to head over to the group. 'Don't tell them. I don't want to be weak' Kat whispered to Carol. Carol nodded in understanding and felt even more empathy for this girl. She was going to help her get over this.

'Hi, I'm Rick Grimes. You've met Carol, Glenn and Daryl. This is Maggie. We have lots more people inside when you're ready to meet them. Glenn told me that he's explained things to you, about the walkers and the need to pull your weight' Rick introduced himself. Kat could only bring herself to give him a small nod.

'I think it's best I take her inside and get her fed and cleaned up' Carol smiled. Carol led her inside and Kat could feel the stares of other people on her. She kept her head down and tried not to look at them. Everything was just a bit overwhelming at the moment and she didn't want to spiral into another panic. Carol stopped anyone from coming close with a sharp look and led Kat straight past everyone and into her cell. 'Just stay right here and I'll get you some food'. Kat sat in silence until Carol returned with a small bowl of what looked like porridge. Kat devoured it, she hadn't eaten since her food ran out.

'Take it easy. You don't want to make yourself sick. That's why I didn't give you much. We need to build up the amount you eat slowly' Carol explained. Kat gave her a small smile and started to eat much slower. She soon finished the bowl and Carol placed it on the side and led her out of the cell and towards the old shower room. It was a barrel full of water from the stream just outside the prison fences with a sponge and a jug.

'It's not much of a shower at the moment but it's enough to get by. We want to be able to set up running showers eventually. Do you need any help or would you like to be left alone?' Carol asked.

'I'll be ok alone. Thank you Carol' Kat said sincerely.

'Ok. I'll be just outside when you're done. I'm going to hunt down some clothes for you to use. Everything will probably be too big but you can't stay in those' Carol said, indicating the grubby and smelly state of her jeans and t-shirt. 'You'll probably fit into some of Beth's clothing'.

With that Carol left the room. Kat felt more secure on her own in the dark shower room. She stripped off and tried to ignore the pathetic state of her own body. She was practically a walking skeleton. She wet the sponge and began to scrub off the dirt. She poured a jug of water over her head and saw the horrific amount of dirt that was washing down the drain. She must have looked horrendous. She was glad there wasn't a mirror in here, she didn't want to see how much she had changed. She scrubbed until her skin was raw but still didn't feel clean enough. She didn't want to waste too much water though and so stopped and used the towel that Carol had brought with them. She wrapped it around herself and called softly for Carol. Carol came back into the room and handed her a pile of clean clothes which Kat quickly changed into.

*****

Carol led Kat into an empty cell. Kat sat down on the bed and placed her head in her hands. She had just been introduced to everyone else in the common area. Her head was spinning with all the names. She had been alone for so long, she was struggling with being around so many new people.

'Are you sure you don't want to share a cell with me?' Carol asked, somewhat concerned about Kat being alone again.

'I'm ok. I just want some alone time. I haven't been around other people in so long' Kat explained, not wanting to offend the woman.

'Ok. Well you know where I am if you need me. I'll leave you to get some rest' Carol said before making an exit.

Kat couldn't sleep though. She could hear the sound of people around the prison. The place was so large and everything echoed. She was used to her silent dark basement. Eventually she heard the sound of the last few people going into their cells for the night. She still couldn't sleep. Every little sound made her jump in fright. She didn't know these people yet. She only trusted Carol, Glenn and Daryl. They were the people who had saved her and welcomed her.

Kat crept out of the cell and looked around. There was no one out in the common area. She grabbed her blanket and walked out of her cell. She needed to find somewhere quieter to sleep, somewhere away from everyone else. Only then would she feel safe enough to sleep. She walked to the end of the cell block and realised the gate was closed and locked. It didn't look like she was going to be able to get out of the cell block. She wandered around the cell block until she found a cell that had a smaller window and was far removed from everyone else's. She covered the small window with her blanket and curled up in the corner of the cell. She managed to tuck herself in the corner with the bed blocking her from view from the door. Finding that she felt relatively safe, she curled up and went to sleep.

*****

Carol was heading to the bathroom but thought she'd check on Kat. She peered into the cell and was shocked to find it empty, with the blanket gone. The girl had obviously wandered off. She didn't want to wake everyone up and sending all the men after her might make the poor girl even more skittish. She quickly searched all of the cells but couldn't see the girl. Her eyes then landed on a group of keys sat on the table in the common area, she supposed that no one was thinking that anyone would try to get out, they were more bothered about people trying to get in. Kat could have wandered out of the cell block, she couldn't search the whole prison alone. Carol headed to the stoop and gave Daryl a shake.

'What!' Daryl jumped awake, a knife suddenly raised in the air which had appeared from under his pillow. 'Carol?'

'It's Kat. She's wandered off somewhere else to sleep. I don't know where she's gone. You need to help me look for her' Carol explained.

'Stupid girl' Daryl cursed.

'The keys were left on the table, she could have wandered out of the cell block' Carol told him.

'Let's give the cell block another check. Let's hope she just went to the bathroom or sumthin' Daryl said.

Daryl and Carol began to check the cells more thoroughly. Daryl eventually came across her curled up in a corner of a cell. She was well removed from the rest of the group and Daryl could understand why Carol had missed her with the girl's position on the floor. He had very little time for sympathy and so gave her a gentle kick to wake her up.

Kat gave a little shriek as she was woken abruptly. A strong hand gripped around her arm and she was dragged from her sleeping spot and back into her cell, where Daryl threw her roughly back onto the bed. Carol had heard the noise of them returning and slipped into the cell behind Daryl.

'Daryl, I'll take it from here' she said gently.

'No ya won't. I'll deal with it. You go back to bed' Daryl said with a firm glare in Carol's direction, leaving her with no space to argue.

'Just go easy on her' she said gently. She left the cell and went back to bed, hoping that the girl wasn't going to be traumatised by her interaction with Daryl.

'What the hell were you thinkin? You need to stay where we tell you or let someone know where you were going. You made Carol panic. Worse, you could have put me and her in danger if we'd gone to check the rest of the prison for you' Daryl started angrily.

'I'm sorry' Kat replied quietly.

'Are you? Why the hell were you not here?' Daryl asked, not satisfied with the apology.

'I needed someplace safe to sleep. Somewhere dark and quiet. I don't trust them yet' she said indicating everyone else in the cell block with her hand. Daryl began to understand why she had run off, she had been in that basement for far too long.

'Do you trust anyone?' he asked more gently.

'Carol, Glenn…. You' she replied. Daryl raised his eyebrow, looking sceptical at the last one.

'Well, trust us to keep you safe then. The three of us will keep you safe, I promise, but you need to help us. You need to stay with everyone else and not go wandering off. Me and Carol won't tell anyone else about this, so keep it quiet' he said before turning to leave the cell.

'Wait!' Kat exclaimed. This was the loudest thing Daryl has heard her say. 'I can't sleep in here. It's too loud… I'm scared. I know I'm being stupid but I just don't trust people yet.'

'Fine. I'll stay here until you go to sleep' Daryl sighed and sat down on the floor next to the bed.

'Thank you' Kat whispered.

'Shut up and go to sleep' he replied. Daryl waited for a while until he heard her breathing even out. He stared at her for a while to check she was sleeping and then slipped out of the cell. He returned to the stoop and fell on top of his mattress there and fell straight to sleep.

*****

Daryl woke several hours later when the first morning light began streaming into the prison. He suddenly panicked when he felt something against his back. He turned quickly and shoved whatever it was away from him, his knife at the ready once more. The 'something' rolled off the mattress and landed with a thump and a small groan of pain.

'What the hell you doing girl?' Daryl asked, looking down at Kat on the floor.

'I woke up after you'd left and couldn't get back to sleep' she said quietly.

'So you decided to get into my bed? Bit creepy don't you think' Daryl sneered at her.

'I'm sorry' she replied. Her eyes filling with tears. She was angry with herself at her own weakness. She fled the stoop and back into her own cell, leaving a confused Daryl Dixon behind her.

*****

Kat felt useless all of that day. Carol wouldn't let her help with anything because she was still too weak. She had to stay out of the way while everyone else completed chores around her. She was being a burden on everyone. She had been given a check-up by Hershel, another member of the prison who she didn't find intimidating. He reiterated what Carol had said about her malnutrition, that she needed to build up her food slowly. Other than that she just needed to take it easy for a few days and slowly build up her strength.

She tossed and turned on her mattress that night. Sleep came eventually but it was a long time coming. She wasn't asleep that long before the nightmares started. She was back in the basement alone. She had only dreamt about the prison and the new people she had met. She had dreamt the feeling of safety she felt sleeping beside Daryl. It was all a lie. Then she woke with a start. She couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her face and the cries of pain that escaped her. They were loud enough to wake the other residents of the prison. She could hear people talking around her, trying to calm her down but she couldn't make out what they were saying through her panic.

'No! No! No! I can't go back there. This is all a dream. I'm still trapped' she babbled. Carol was touching her arm and trying to break through to the hysterical woman but couldn't get her to focus. Carol had been the first into the cell but Lori, Glenn and Maggie had followed her in shortly after. She could hear Rick outside the cell trying to get Carl and Beth to go back to bed and leave everyone else to deal with Kat.

'What's wrong with her?' asked Daryl who had suddenly appeared in the cell.

'She thinks this is all a dream and that she's back in the basement' Carol explained. Daryl pushed his way towards Kat and sat down on the bed in front of her. 'Daryl, I don't think…'

'Hey' Daryl said softly to Kat, completely ignoring Carol. Kat's eyes darted up and locked with his.

'You're not real. It's all just a dream' she whispered.

'I am real. You're in the prison and you're safe. I promised, remember' Daryl asked. He picked up her hand from where it was clenched tightly into the bedding and rested it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat under her fingertips. She slowly stopped crying with the reassurance that this was all real. She seemed to sag forward under the weight of her emotion and rested her forehead against Daryl's chest. After a moment's hesitation, Daryl wrapped his arm around her and shifted her so that his back was against the wall and she was nestled firmly in his arms. From this position he could see the shocked faces of Glenn, Maggie, Lori and Carol. They had never seen him willingly touch anyone before. 'Get out of here' Daryl said to them. They all slowly left the cell not quite believing what they had just witnessed.

*****

The next day Kat spent mostly sleeping. She had ended up getting very little sleep and everyone else thought she deserved to catch up on her rest. Daryl had slipped out of her cell in the early morning. After Lori had tried to bring up what had happened to Daryl and been given a glare and him storming off in response, no one had dared to bring up what had happened.

That night Daryl flopped down on his bed and started to drift off after a hard day's work. He became very alert when he heard shuffling behind him. He was about to make a move for his knife when he felt someone lie down next to him on the bed. A hand came down to press against his back, to feel his heartbeat. He relaxed and let himself begin to drift off again. He'd let her stay here with him just this once. It wasn't going to change anything.


	4. Chapter 3

A couple more days had passed since Kat's nightmare. Her days were fairly routine now. Carol and Hershel had decided that she could do small jobs like helping with laundry and cooking but that she wasn't strong enough to help fortify the prison, which is what every able-bodied person was off doing. Kat was left inside the prison with Hershel, Beth, Lori and Carl. As a result though, she was much more comfortable around these people. She became much closer with Lori especially and tried to do as much work as possible so that the pregnant Lori could relax more. However, she was still highly uncomfortable around Rick and T-Dog. She had little contact with them and they both intimidated her. As a result she still felt too unsafe to sleep alone. Every night she slipped into Daryl's bed; he grumbled every night but still let her.

Kat was just returning to the cell after hanging out some laundry in the yard to see Lori fumbling to adjust the height on the crutches that Daryl and Glenn had taken from her father's closet. They had hidden the crutches in an empty cell so that Hershel didn't know that they had found any. His daughters had told them that if he knew they were in the prison, then nothing would keep him from getting out of bed. They wanted to make sure that he was rested enough before trying to walk. They'd started him doing small tasks just sitting in the bunk. That was the way he had been allowed to examine Kat when she first arrived.

'Here let me' Kat said, gently taking the crutches from Lori. Lori gave her a smile and nod in thanks as Kat easily adjusted the crutches the way she had been taught in the hospital after breaking her leg. She gave them back to Lori and followed her as they entered Hershel's cell, Carl following behind them.

Hershel's eyes seemed to light up when he saw the crutches. He was well and truly ready to walk again. 'Just take your time' Lori said gently.

'Daddy, don't push yourself' Beth added as her father struggled to get to his feet.

'What else am I going to do? I can't stand looking at the bottom of that bunk' Hershel said. He started to try to walk using the crutches and lost his balance. Beth and Kat grabbed his shoulders to steady him. He soon managed to steady himself and got the hang of the crutches. 'You know? I can go pretty steady.'

'That's a good start. Want to take a rest?' asked Lori, trying to make sure he didn't push himself, however Hershel was too stubborn for that.

'Rest? Let's go for a little stroll' he said stubbornly and took off surprisingly fast into the common area of the cell block. He obviously felt he had stayed inside for too long and headed straight for the yard. He reached the outside and paused to take in the sunshine and fresh air. However, they soon reached the issue of the steps leading down to the courtyard.

'I got you here if you need it' Lori said, placing herself in front of Hershel in case he started to fall forward.

'Let me do that' Kat insisted. 'We don't need you to topple down the stairs.' Kat argued nodding at Lori's pregnant belly. Being pregnant had been throwing off Lori's sense of balance, it would be too easy for Lori to fall down the stairs. She nodded in agreement and waited at the bottom of the stairs, while Kat placed her hand on Hershel's chest to help him balance down the stairs. Lori couldn't help but notice how at times like these, a different side of Kat's personality seemed to shine through. When around Rick or T-Dog she was the scared fragile girl that she had been first introduced to. She was cautious around everyone else but at times like these she saw a caring, strong-willed woman, who was beginning to care about the group and was making the group care about her.

'Just take your time on those steps' Beth insisted, both her and Carl were behind Hershel, also there to help him balance. They made it to the bottom of the stairs and started to wander over to the fence where they could see the work that the rest of the group were carrying out.

'You cleared all those bodies out? It's startin' to look like a place we could really live in' Hershel smiled.

'Hey, you watch your step. Last thing we need is you falling' Lori insisted, trying to make Hershel focus on walking rather than what was going on around him.

Daryl was holding the fence open for Rick and Glenn as they brought wood back through. Daryl looked up and caught sight of the group gathering at the fence. 'Looky here' Daryl said to Rick and Glenn. The other two men both looked up and smiled at the sight of Hershel up and about.

'He is one tough son of a bitch' Glenn smiled. 'Alright Hershel!' he yelled, his voice carrying around the prison yard.

'Shh… Keep your cheers down' Daryl said, indicating the walkers that were just outside the fence. Daryl looked up and saw Kat give a small laugh at Glenn's enthusiasm. Daryl couldn't help but think she actually looked quite pretty when she smiled or laughed; it lit up her face. Daryl caught her eye and gave her a small nod. Kat blushed and looked away to which Daryl couldn't help but smirk in response.

Rick turned around, having noticed the moment between the two. 'She's comfortable with you' he smirked at Daryl.

'Yeah, what about it?' Daryl avoided eye contact and seemed uncomfortable with the subject.

Daryl's response just encouraged Rick in his teasing. 'Don't think we haven't noticed her sneaking around at night. You two look pretty cosy.'

'Maybe you'll stop teasing me and Maggie now' Glenn joined in.

'Ain't nothin' goin' on. She still don't feel comfortable around you and T. Says she feels safer closer to me at night' Daryl said to Rick.

'She told you why she's uncomfortable around me and T?' Rick asked, serious now.

'No. Won't say nothin' else. She don't like men, finds it difficult to trust them… unless she's been given a reason to' Daryl replied.

'You and Glenn rescued her and Hershel patched her up. You think she's had a bad experience with men?' Rick questioned but only got a shrug in response from Daryl. 'Maybe me and T should make more of an effort to talk to her. We've been busy so we haven't spent much time around her. She's a good person, she's helping as much as we'll let her. She's taking on a lot of things for Lori and telling her to relax more. I appreciate her help. She should be as comfortable here as we can possibly make her.' Daryl nodded in agreement, pleased with what Rick had said.

'Come on. Let's deal with these bastards' Daryl said gesturing to the walkers that had been drawn in by the sound of Glenn's cheering, effectively ending the conversation.

'Oh, man, can't we just have one good day?' Glenn complained.

Kat watched as Hershel became more confident on the crutches and was managing to travel faster. 'You're doing great Daddy' Beth encouraged her father.

'Ready to race, Hershel?' Carl joked.

'You give me another day, I'll take you on' Hershel responded, smiling down at the young boy. All of a sudden, small groaning noises could be heard behind them.

'Walkers! Look out!' yelled Carl who the fastest to notice the threat approaching them from behind. How the hell had the walkers managed to get into the prison? Carl and Lori sprang into action taking out walkers with the guns that they had been carrying with them. Kat realised that with the work she had been doing inside, no one had thought to give her anything with which she could defend herself or the others. Hershel started making his way towards a gated area, Beth leading the way.

Kat picked up a splintered piece of wood that had fallen off a pallet. It wasn't much to defend Hershel with but it was something. She kept it above her head, with her back to Hershel, moving with him, ready to defend him if necessary. They made it to the gate before a walker came after her. She swung it at the walker, hitting it around the head and then froze. This was the first time she had faced a walker. The walker didn't seem to have been dead long. She could still see the person it once was. She knew she should swing the wood again and try to smash the brain but she couldn't. She hit it hard enough that it fell to the floor but couldn't finish it off. She retreated behind the gate and allowed Beth to close it behind her. Hershel managed to use one of his crutches to keep the gate shut.

The three of them watched helplessly as Maggie, Carl and Lori disappeared inside the prison. They then watched in horror as T-Dog got bitten and then disappeared inside a different entrance with Carol. At that point, Rick, Glenn and Daryl had appeared finishing off the remaining walkers in the yard. A crossbow bolt finishing off the walker that Kat could not bring herself to kill.

'What the hell happened?' yelled Rick to the three of them.

'The gate was open!' Beth yelled back.

'Where's Lori, Carl, everyone else?' Rick questioned.

'Maggie led Lori and Carl into C block!' Hershel explained.

'And T was bit!' Beth exclaimed.

'Anyone else?' Rick questioned, clearly worried about his son and wife.

'I couldn't tell' Beth responded, sorry she couldn't give a better answer. Hershel and Beth both looked at Kat, to see if she had seen anything that they hadn't. Kat just shook her head. Shock had hit her and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

'Stay put!' ordered Rick.

'Ya ok?' Daryl questioned her as he joined the rest of the group once the yard was clear. Kat could only bring herself to nod. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. She turned away from the rest of the group because she hated the fact that she was so weak.

As if things couldn't get any worse, an alarm started blaring around the yard, attracting the attention of more walkers and riling up the ones that still lingered. Glenn, Rick and Daryl tried to shoot out the speakers but the noise was still blaring from inside the prison. The three men were now talking heatedly with the two prisoners who had wandered into the yard. The alarm was too loud that Hershel, Beth and Kat couldn't hear what was going on. The group of men then disappeared inside the prison without a backward glance. Kat's tears now streamed in full force down her face as she sat down against the wall, her head resting in her hands. She wasn't sure she could cope with everything that was happening, she had no idea how they were going to survive this.

*****

The waiting was the worst part. The alarm was still blaring and they waited for what seemed like an age, with no idea of what was happening inside the prison. Everyone else could be dead for all they knew. Eventually the alarm stopped but Kat couldn't stop the ringing in her ears. It felt like the alarm was still blaring.

'Hershel!' Rick yelled catching the attention of the three of them. The group of five men had returned and were running towards them. The three of them exited the enclosed area to greet the men.

'You didn't find 'em?' asked Hershel causing a look of disappointment and worry to appear on the faces of Rick, Glenn and Daryl. The prisoners just stood back and looked uncomfortable.

'We thought maybe they came back out here' Glenn replied.

'What about T, Carol?' questioned Hershel.

'They didn't make it' Daryl said simply, causing Beth and Kat to gasp in shock.

'That doesn't mean the others didn't. We're going back! Daryl and Glenn, you come with me…' Rick took charge, trying to reassure himself more than the others. However, he broke off as they heard the cry of a baby. Rick turned around and watched Maggie opened the gate and entered the yard with a baby. Carl followed behind but Kat could tell that he was almost a completely different person to the one who had challenged Hershel to a race not so long ago.

'Where is… where is she?' Rick asked desperately. With Maggie crying he seemed to know what had happened but he wanted reassurance that his wife wasn't dead. He wanted anyone to tell him that he was wrong, that this was not happening to him. He started to head back inside the prison but was stopped by Maggie.

'No, Rick, don't!' she cried. With that Rick broke down crying. Kat turned away as she couldn't bare the grief that the man was exhibiting. She found herself in denial over the people that they had lost. If she thought about it too much she would break down completely, she needed to push it aside for now.

'Rick, you with me? Rick?' Daryl asked, waving his hand in front of the man's face. Rick seemed to be almost catatonic. He had become numb and nothing seemed to break through.

'Let me see the baby' Hershel requested, trying to get everyone to focus on something else. Who knew how long Rick would take to break out of his current state.

'What are we gonna feed it? We got anything a baby can eat?' Daryl asked.

'The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive' Hershel replied with a grim look on his face. He was examining the baby as best he could with it in Carl's arms and him trying to balance on his one remaining leg.

'No. No way. Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run' Daryl stated immediately.

'I'll back you up' Maggie joined in.

'I'll go too' Glenn said.

'Okay, think where we're going. Beth, Kat' Daryl summoned the two of them over. 'Kid just lost his mom. His dad ain't doing so hot.' Daryl whispered to the two of them.

'I'll look out for him' Beth replied indicating to Carl.

'We'll look out for both of them as best we can' Kat replied, indicating to Rick still kneeling on the floor of the yard, clearly not recognising what was going on around him.

Kat felt like she had a purpose in the group finally. This was something important that she could help with. Beth and Hershel were occupied with Carl and the baby and everyone had left Rick alone for the moment. Kat ventured towards him, hoping that she could help him somehow. She approached him slowly, making sure she was in his line of vision. She bent slightly and was about to say something to him when he sprung up. He was laser focused on something behind her and she was clearly in the way. He swiped her out of the way with his arm in his quest to pick up an axe from the floor. However, Kat hadn't noticed the debris behind her and Rick's push sent her tripping backwards over the debris. Kat thought she was lucky that she managed to stay on her feet, however she was too close to the prison wall and her head collided with the wall.

'Rick!' Maggie yelled, as Rick disappeared back inside the prison with the axe.

'Kat? You ok?' Daryl worried, noticing the blood dripping down her face.

Kat wasn't sure she was entirely ok, physically or mentally. Physically she was bleeding but it didn't feel too bad. However, mentally, she was now more scared of Rick than ever. He reminded her of her father after her mother left them both. He was a man who felt angry and alone and that had proved a dangerous combination to Kat's safety in the past. However, she didn't want to hold up the scouting trip, they needed to make sure that the baby got some formula. So Kat replied 'I'm fine. Just go.'

'We've got her' Hershel added. This seemed to reassure Daryl and he nodded.

'Come on, we're gonna lose the light' Daryl said to Glenn and Maggie and the three of them disappeared.

Hershel approached Kat and began to poke and prod gently at the wound on her forehead. Beth had managed to find a rag that she soaked in some water so that her father could have a look at the wound after it was cleaned up a bit.

'It looks like it's just a small wound. The scalp bleeds a lot and so injuries often look a lot worse than they are. Try to keep it as clean as possible and we'll keep an eye on you for any signs of a concussion. You should be fine though' Hershel reassured her.

'Stings like a bitch though' Kat replied with a sigh. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder in the direction that Rick had gone into the prison. Hershel picked up on this movement.

'He didn't mean to, you know. He's going through a very hard time. He'll be mortified when he finds out that he hurt you. He's a good man' Hershel tried to explain. Kat only responded with a nod, although she remained sceptical. Rick scared her.

Glenn appeared back in the yard. He came over to the group to explain that he had not left as only one person could only fit on the bike to get to the shopping centre. 'I'm gonna dig some graves' Glenn said solemnly.

'I'll help' Kat volunteered. She had failed at helping Rick and Beth, Hershel and Carl could take good care of the baby, maybe this was something she could help with.

'Not with that head wound you won't' Hershel insisted. 'You need to rest as much as possible, just in case you do have concussion. Why don't you take guard duty.'

Kat nodded. Carl handed the baby to Beth and pulled his gun off his holster. 'Here. You'll need a gun for duty' Carl said, handing it to her. Kat knew that this was purely symbolic as she had told them that she had never fired a gun before. She would just be a lookout. Glenn and the prisoners were close enough that they could be shouted if anything was needed.

Kat trudged up the stairs to the guard post. She sat at the edge of the tower with her back against the wall. She hated how useless she was. She was scared and weak. Her old self would have hated the pathetic girl she was now. Maybe her father was right.

She could hear his voice in her head. 'You're pathetic, girl. No-one will ever want you, whore. You're stuck here until I decide to kill you. Even your own mother didn't want you!' She could feel the beatings she had received, the punches, the kicks, the pushes down stairs. Everything was circling around her head whilst she stared out into the distance for any movement as the sun slowly sank.

Suddenly, she was broken out of her reverie by a hand on her shoulder. Kat jumped and flinched away from the touch, still wary after the incident with Rick. She looked up to find Glenn who had arrived to relieve her of guard duty. Glenn looked down at her in understanding and sat next to her against the wall. 'Rick wouldn't have meant to hurt you. He's not himself. He attacked me down in the tombs. I'm worried about him' Glenn told her.

'Maybe he just needs time' was all Kat could think to offer in advice. In her experience, it hadn't gotten any better. If anything, it had gotten worse with time.

'Maybe' Glenn sighed. 'You can go back inside if you want. I've got it here.'

'I'll wait with you until they come back' Kat insisted and so the two of them sat in silence, staring into the darkness. At least the presence of Glenn kept the memories of her father at bay.

*****

Kat and Glenn sat in silence until the distant sound of the motorbike could be heard. The headlight eventually appeared in sight heading down the road.

'Guys, they're back' Glenn yelled to the prisoners, who had taken up station by the gate below. The prisoners opened the gates and Daryl and Maggie leapt off the motorbike as soon as possible and ran into the prison. Kat and Glenn followed, allowing the prisoners to look after the gates for now.

Maggie walked to one of the tables and emptied her bag of baby supplies. Beth had headed over to the table to help her.

'How do you even make up formula?' Beth asked Maggie and Maggie seemed to be just as clueless. Maggie picked up the formula and began to read the instructions.

'I'll do it' volunteered Kat. She quickly and efficiently made up some formula, pushing back the memories of the last time she had done this. It wasn't as sterile as it was supposed to be, they didn't have the time to boil water, but it was either make it with what they had available or the baby would starve. She approached Daryl with the bottle as he was crooning to the baby.

'You wanna feed her?' asked Daryl, approaching as if to hand the little girl to her. Kat shook her head adamantly and just gave Daryl the bottle. Tears forced themselves into her eyes as memories started flooding through her. She headed to the back of the group so that people would be too preoccupied with the baby to notice her crying.

Daryl was crooning to the little girl as he fed her, calling her 'Lil ass kicker', making the group chuckle. Daryl looked up and caught sight of Kat crying. He looked concerned but Kat broke the eye contact and wiped away her tears, shaking her head at him, indicating that she didn't want any attention drawn to her. He still looked concerned but went back to feeding the baby.

*****

The baby eventually settled and went to sleep and Beth and Maggie volunteered to look after her during the night. The rest of the group was left in a solemn mood, with Rick still missing, discussing those that they had lost that day. One by one everyone disappeared into their cells, to deal with their grief in their own way.

Once again, Kat found herself unable to sleep. Thoughts of losing Lori and Carol dragging her into a whirlpool of sorrow. She found herself drawn to Daryl again. Maybe his safe presence could chase away the sorrow, at least long enough for her to sleep. She wandered out of her cell and led down next to Daryl.

'Whatcha doin here?' he seemed to snarl at her. This Daryl was a far cry from the one who had looked at her with such concern only a few hours earlier.

'I… I…' Kat stuttered, not knowing how to answer that question.

'You think I can protect ya? Well I can't. You gotta toughen up. Look at all the people we lost today. I ain't yer saviour. I don't look after anyone but myself. Now get outta here' he yelled at Kat in a whisper, trying not to disturb anyone else.

Kat started crying once again and retreated to her own cell. She tossed and turned in her cell trying to find the sleep that constantly evaded her. She was not the only one who was restless. After his outburst, Daryl felt incredibly guilty. Guilt had never kept him awake before though. He missed the presence of someone next to him in the bed. He hated that he missed her being in bed with him. He sighed and resigned himself to go 'apologise'.

Kat sat bolt upright when she was startled by the sound of someone entering her cell.

'It's just me' Daryl reassured her quietly. 'Here. I thought this might make you feel a bit safer. I saw ya return Carl's gun earlier and realised you didn't have anything to protect yourself' he said handing her the knife that he normally kept under his pillow.

'Thank you' Kat replied with a small smile. She supposed that this was as close to an apology as she would ever get from Daryl Dixon. Daryl then surprised her by sitting down on the cot next to her before swinging his legs up to lie beside her.

'What…' she started to ask.

'Shut up and go to sleep' he grumbled before closing his eyes. Kat smiled softly and led back down and sleep soon found her.

*****

Kat was woken at dawn as Daryl slipped out of the bed. Kat laid there for a few minutes before deciding to find out where Daryl had gone. She went out into the yard and could see Daryl down by Carol's makeshift grave, they hadn't found any of her body to bury. Kat picked up a piece of wire from the ground. Glenn had gone round the speakers cutting the wires to them, hoping that this would prevent the alarm from going off again. Kat looked up and saw that Glenn was on guard duty. However, on closer inspection she could see that he was asleep. It had been a hell of a day and she couldn't really blame him.

Kat stared at the piece of wire in her hand, flipping it back and forth and thought back to Daryl's harsh words last night. Although he apologised, he was right. She needed to toughen up. She could help with domestic duties but that was it. She needed to contribute more. She needed to get back to who she was before the apocalypse. To combat the abuse of her father she had been a badass. She drank, smoked, swore, slept with anyone willing and generally hung around with the 'wrong crowd'. Looking back, it had been a cry for help. She wanted someone, anyone, to notice the things that were happening at home. Despite a lot of bad choices, she was tough, had thick skin, she could deal with anything that happened at home. She needed to be that girl again.

She felt like she needed something to jumpstart who she had been. She had no alcohol or cigarettes so that was out of the question. She couldn't sleep with anyone in the prison; that would be too awkward. Her eyes fell on Daryl's motorcycle and then down to the piece of wire still in her hands. She had often hung around with bikers in the old days. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and the freedom of it all. They had also taught her how to hot-wire a motorcycle. She had never stolen anything herself but had been around plenty of people who had.

She checked the gate which currently was clear of walkers. She slipped forwards and opened the gate slightly so that the motorcycle would fit through. She checked that Daryl was still preoccupied at Carol's grave. She took the small piece of wire and made short work of hot-wiring the bike. Daryl looked up at the sound of his bike but was too late to prevent Kat from riding off through the gates. He shouted her name but this did nothing to stop the bike disappearing into the woods, taking the flighty girl with it.


	5. Chapter 4

Kat sped the motorbike down the empty road. She loved the freedom, the wind in her hair. She felt more like herself than she had in months. This reminded her of the times she rode on the back of motorcycles with friends or guys she had been with. She threw her head back and laughed. She was free of the constraints her father had put on her. They had still existed in her mind but now she was truly free.

She pulled the bike over to the side of the road. She needed to make an important decision. There was nothing stopping her from just taking the bike and continuing on her own. Maybe she would be safer on her own. She could get in and out of places quietly. Her thoughts kept returning to the people she would be leaving behind though. Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Hersel. The thought of leaving Daryl hurt the most. He made her feel safe. She wanted to be stronger but she was still dependent on him somehow. The way he had sought her out in her own bed last night made her think that maybe she had made him slightly dependent on her as well. A small smile made its way on to her face. She had made her decision.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud groan. Spinning around she found a walker extremely close to her shoulder. She should not have let herself get that distracted; she needed to be aware of her surroundings. She backed away from the walker, ensuring that there weren't any behind her. There were just two; she could deal with this. She edged closer to the walker and managed to jam the knife that Daryl had given her into the side of it's skull, dropping it to the floor. She felt a bit more confidence after the first walker and closed in on the second. The second walker seemed to have a bit more fight in it and flailed its arms out, knocking the knife to the ground. Kat dove after it, managing to avoid the flailing arms and teeth that were trying to bite into her flesh. She grasped the knife and managed to stab it through the eye. It was easier to think of the walkers as an 'it', rather than as a person. She felt a rush of confidence, maybe she could make it through the apocalypse after all.

*****

'Everybody okay?' asked Rick, walking into the communal area, seeing the rest of the group sat around a table eating breakfast. Daryl, however, was pacing up and down, chewing on his thumb nail.

'Yeah, we are' Maggie replied instinctively, throwing a furtive glance as Daryl. No one was sure whether to tell Rick that Kat was missing. He had enough on his plate at the moment without adding that.

'What about you?' questioned Hershel.

'I cleared out the boiler block' Rick replied.

'How many were there?' asked Daryl, trying to take his mind off of the fact that two things precious to him were missing. He couldn't figure out which one he was more worried about.

'I don't know. A dozen, two dozen. I have to get back. Just wanted to check on Carl' Rick replied.

'Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies. You don't have to' Glenn tried to help.

'No, I do. Everyone have a gun and a knife?' Rick interrupted, walking over to Daryl, who had stopped pacing.

'Yeah. We're running low on ammo, though' he replied.

'Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon. Found a phone book with some places we can hit, look for bullets and formula' Glenn told him.

'We cleared out the generator room. Axel's there trying to fix it in case of emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels as well' Daryl informed the leader.

'Good, good' Rick murmured, heading back towards the tombs.

'Maybe we should tell him about Kat' Maggie whispered to her father.

'Rick' Hershel tried to stop him but the man slammed the gate behind him and was gone. 'Maybe it's best that he doesn't know that she's gone. We don't have the man power or vehicles to send someone after her. She could be long gone by now.'

'We don't know if she's going to come back' Maggie added sadly.

'O' course she's coming back!' yelled Daryl, slamming his hand against the wall, both sounds echoing around the prison. 'She's not left permanently. She gets overwhelmed here. She'll be back. You'll see!' With that he stormed off towards an empty cell, just wanting some space away from the others.

The others looked at each other in shock at Daryl's reaction. They knew that the two had been close but he seemed to be genuinely hurt that she had left. They expected anger that she had stolen his bike but he hadn't mentioned it once. They hoped for his sake that she came back.

*****

Daryl sat in the empty cell for a while, lost in his own thoughts. He had no idea how long he had been sat there before he was broken from his reverie by the familiar sound of an engine. He ran at full pelt out of the prison and into the yard. Oscar had been at the gate and had opened the gate for the motorcycle to enter the yard.

Kat slowed the bike to a stop next to the guard tower and dismounted. She looked warily at Daryl who had come sprinting towards her and then suddenly jerked to a stop, taking in the sight of her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. She wasn't sure whether it was anger or relief or something else entirely.

'I brought your bike back' she said, trying to break the tension. Daryl strode towards her, grabbed her by the shirt she was wearing and shoved her back roughly against the guard tower.

'What the hell is wrong with you? You do not take off without telling anyone, you do not touch my bike and you do not come swanning back in here actin' like nothin' happened' he yelled, his face so close to hers that he was spitting at her as he shouted.

Kat swiped her hands up and out, forcing Daryl to let go of his tight grip her shirt. She moved herself away from the wall so she wasn't backed into a corner. 'Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken your bike and I should have told someone that I was leaving for a while. But you would have insisted that someone go with me' Kat yelled back at him, shocking him. This was the first time Kat had ever stood up to anyone in the prison.

'Damn right we would have insisted someone go with you. You could have gotten yourself killed!' Daryl yelled back. Just because Kat had found her backbone didn't mean that Daryl would back away from the fight.

'But I didn't. I'm back in one piece. I needed time to think things through and I couldn't do that here. I need to be strong or I'm never going to survive the walkers. I'm back and I'm ready to learn to defend myself and the others here. I know I went about it the wrong way but it's what I needed' she pleaded with him to understand. Even though she was stronger, she somehow still needed Daryl. She needed him to understand this.

Daryl was silent for a while taking in the situation. He looked up and stared deep into her eyes. Kat was unsure whether he was trying to see if she was telling the truth so she just stared back, letting him take all the time he needed. He gave her a nod and she smiled gratefully at him; she knew he accepted the situation. 'Steal my bike again and you better not come back or I'll kill you myself' he grumbled, beginning to walk away as Kat just grinned at him. He stopped and then turned back to her. 'Why you covered in blood?'

'Got attacked by two walkers. Took them down with your knife' Kat told him proudly.

He nodded and smirked at her proudly before turning to head back into the prison. Kat thought that the situation was over and sighed. 'I mighta forgiven ya but you have to deal with the others' Daryl called back over his shoulder, smirking. He might have let her off the hook but it wouldn't be so easy with the others.

*****

Kat had been thoroughly chastised by the others. She had expected it from Glenn and Maggie but even Hershel, who seemed like a gentle soul most of the time, had been angry at her. They listened to her reasoning and her apologies and although they forgave her, Kat knew it would be a while before she earned their trust again. She had been left with Beth, who was the only one who just seemed happy that she had come back. They were to look after the baby girl that still didn't have a name yet. Maggie and Glenn were preparing to leave on their run and the remaining men were going to clear out the tombs, whilst Hershel tried to talk some sense into Rick.

'They were just worried about you. They'll come round in a few days. You've become a big part of this group. They all care about you' Beth reassured her as she cradled the baby. Kat smiled in response, genuinely appreciating knowing how the others felt about her. 'Oh damn' cursed Beth as Judith coughed and spit up on Beth's shirt. 'Here can you take her while I change my shirt?' The baby was handed to Kat, despite Kat's protests and Beth disappeared into her cell.

The baby began fussing in her arms. Kat cradled her more securely and instinctively began rocking the little one back and forth. She quietened down and seemed to be going to sleep. Kat looked down at the fragile life in her arms and felt tears beginning to well in her eyes. This brought back too many memories. Beth reappeared in a fresh shirt and Kat abruptly handed the baby back to Beth.

'I'd better go check how the guys are doing in the tombs' she excused herself and promptly disappeared before Beth could say anything.

Kat made her way down to the tombs and approached Daryl and Carl who were walking away from her after she had greeted Oscar quietly. She heard the end of the story that Daryl was telling Carl about his own mother's death. Kat cleared her throat to let them know that she was there. Daryl turned around and seemed embarrassed that she had heard the story and Carl just gave her a small smile.

'What are ya doin here?' questioned Daryl, looking suspicious.

'I… err… just came to see how you guys were going. Beth's still with the baby' Kat made up an excuse. Daryl seemed to pick up on the desperate look on her face and just nodded, seemingly knowing that she needed to be doing something other than looking after the baby.

'Well as long as you're here, you might as well learn how to shoot. There are a few walkers around so we have targets. Shouldn't be anything too hard, Rick cleared the rest. Down here the sound should be muffled enough that it won't draw more towards the prison' Daryl told her. Kat nodded in gratitude. She needed to know how to shoot.

She spent the next hour with Daryl and Carl teaching her how to shoot. They started with basic theory, how to load the gun, how to work the safety, aiming, how to fire it. They then lined her up with a walker, making sure that Daryl, Carl and Oscar were able to intervene if necessary. With the first walker she managed to hit the walker a couple of times but only in the chest. Daryl fired his crossbow and took it out once it got too close to Kat. She was disheartened but Daryl told her where she had gone wrong and Carl had given her a few tips on how to aim. The next walker they came across she managed to take out on her third shot.

After a while, Glenn and Maggie came down into the tombs to inform them that they were taking off on their run. They had prepared a car to take and listed the places they were planning on heading.

'What if I went with you?' Kat questioned.

'Just cause you've taken out a couple walkers don't make you an expert. You're not ready' Daryl sneered at her.

'I'm not saying I'm an expert but I need to learn, to be out there. I'm not asking to go alone. Glenn and Maggie would be with me. I need to help' Kat insisted.

Maggie and Glenn glanced each other and could obviously tell what the other was thinking from their looks. 'She's right Daryl. She needs experience on runs. We need more people willing to go out. She can be lookout' Maggie explained.

'I scouted out a couple of the locations and they looked fairly quiet. We shouldn't have a problem' Glenn reassured him.

'Fine' Daryl snarled. 'But you better not get yerself killed.'

*****

Glenn pulled the car up to the front of a row of shops. Kat got out of the back seat and her and Maggie checked the surrounding area for walkers.

'Clear outside' Maggie confirmed.

'All right, let's take a look' Glenn mumbled, walking over to the door and cutting the chain with bolt cutters. They all jumped as the door opened and some birds flew out. Glenn and Maggie went inside with torches and Kat stood outside the door. This was how they had handled the last few stores they checked, unfortunately they had all been mostly empty of things they needed. Kat stood with Daryl's knife in her hand, ready for anything; at least she hoped she was ready.

'We just hit the powdered formula jackpot' Glenn came out and informed Kat. He and Maggie were each carrying a shopping basket full of things they needed. 'We also got beans, batteries, cocktail wieners, many mustards. It's a straight shot back to the prison from here. Probably make it in time for dinner.' Glenn said optimistically. Kat smiled, her first run had gone successfully. She wanted Daryl to be proud.

'I like the quiet. Back there, back home, you can always hear them outside the fence no matter where you are' Maggie said thoughtfully. Despite the fact that they were relatively safe in the prison, there was always the noise reminding you of the lingering threat. Kat was surprised that someone else had noticed it. She had thought she was the only one.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a loud voice across the yard. 'And where is it y'all good people are calling home?' a man approached them, a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. Kat inwardly cursed, she had let her guard down when Glenn and Maggie had reappeared. She should have still been the lookout. This was her fault. Glenn and Maggie immediately had their guns pointed at the man. Kat raised her knife, she didn't feel confident enough to take out the gun Daryl had pressed into her hands before leaving on the run.

'Merle?' Glenn asked.

'Wow!' the man chuckled, putting his gun on the floor but keeping the knife in his hand. It looked slightly long to be a knife, it may have been a machete. Kat couldn't tell from this distance. She was just shocked that Glenn seemed to know this man.

'Hey, back the hell up!' Maggie yelled as the man tried to approach them.

'Okay, okay, honey. Jesus!' the man shouted, with his knife still in the air. Kat didn't trust this man.

'You made it' Glenn said, somehow he didn't seem happy about this fact. Glenn obviously knew this man from before the prison. She hadn't talked to the group much about their past. All she knew was that they had come from Hershel's farm and Atlanta before that. Maybe he was from Atlanta, she knew they had lost people along the way.

'Can you tell me, is my brother alive? Huh?' the man asked.

'Yeah' Glenn replied. Kat looked at Glenn surprised. Whose brother was this?

'Hey, you take me to him and I'll call it even on everything that happened up there in Atlanta. No hard feelings. Huh?' the man said. He then looked towards the knife in his hand. 'You like that? Yeah. Well, I found myself a medical supply warehouse. Fixed it up myself. Well, pretty cool, huh?' Kat gasped as she realised that it wasn't a knife he was holding, it was actually attached to him, where his hand should be. Kat couldn't help but stare in shock.

'You like that darling?' Merle asked. 'It's for the walkers… mostly.' Kat just glared back at him. If Glenn wasn't comfortable with this man and the others left him behind then she was sure there was a reason for it. He seemed to be a jackass to her.

'Tough crowd. These two don't talk much do they' Merle said to Glenn. 'How did you find yourself in the company of these two beautiful ladies?'

Glenn ignored Merle's question. 'We'll tell Daryl you're here and he'll come out to meet you' Glenn told him calmly.

'What? This is Daryl's brother?' Kat exclaimed, unable to control herself.

'So they're not both yours then Chinaman' smirked Merle. 'Looks like my brother found himself a woman. Can't say I blame him.' Merle looked her up and down and Kat felt highly uncomfortable with the man looking at her like that. She could feel him undressing her with his eyes. She shifted her grip on her knife, making her grip a bit firmer. Merle's eyes were drawn to the knife and he smirked as he recognised it.

Kat had had enough of Merle eyeing her up. 'Eyes are up here asshole!' she told him. Maggie and Glenn both looked shocked at the outburst from the girl.

Merle looked as if he was going to step forward towards her. 'Hey!' Glenn shouted and waved the gun at him to keep in his place.

'Hold on. Just hold up. Hold up here. Hold up. Hey, the fact that we found each other is a miracle. Come on, now. You can trust me' Merle tried to reassure them.

'You trust us. You stay here' Glenn told him. There was a moment of silence. Kat saw Merle smirk and knew that he had something planned. She moved to go towards Glenn but at that moment Merle had pulled a gun from the back of his trousers. Merle had actually been aiming at the car window to distract them but Kat had moved into the path of the bullet. Kat screamed as the bullet grazed her arm. She was lucky that she hadn't moved a fraction of a second quicker; she would be dead. As it was, the wound stung like a bitch and she dropped her knife.

Everything after that seemed to happen in fast forward. She ducked to avoid any more bullets that may have been heading their way. Once she stood up she found Glenn running around the other side of the car to discover that Merle had Maggie pinned on the floor with his knife-hand around her neck and a gun to her head.

'Hey, hey, hold up, buddy, hold up' Merle warned Glenn who was still pointing his gun at Merle. At this point Kat was useless, her left arm was out of action with the bullet wound and she was using the right to stem the bleeding. She was also completely without a weapon.

'Let go of her. Let go of her!' Glenn yelled.

'Put it in the car, son' Merle said. Glenn had no choice but to comply. 'There you go. Now we're gonna go for a little drive.'

'We're not going back to our camp' Glenn refused to let him know where the prison was.

'No, we're going somewhere else. Get in the car, Glenn! You're driving! Move!' Merle shouted and pressed the gun more tightly against Maggie's head.

'Don't. Okay' Glenn agreed. He nodded at Kat and they both went to get in the car. Merle managed to get in the backseat with Maggie and they began their drive to god-knows-where.


	6. Chapter 5

Kat had her arms taped to the chair. She had been placed in a room alone. How could she have any hope of any of the others discovering where they were if she didn't know herself? She was alone and blood was trickling down her arm from the bullet wound. She felt the walls she had placed around her emotions crumble once more. She thought she was back to who she was before the apocalypse. To everyone before she had looked like a strong independent woman. That's who she had convinced herself she could be after her motorcycle ride. Once again, it was proved that it was just a mask, a façade. Internally she was weak and emotional, she couldn't be strong like the rest of the group. She had been weak in the past when dealing with her father's abuse and she was weak now. She wasn't deluding herself that this kidnapping would turn out happy for all involved. Her father was right, she was weak and pathetic, she thought as tears streaked down her face.

*****

Daryl was so happy to have found Carol in that cell. She was severely dehydrated and weak and he had carried her from the tombs and placed her in her cell. He had gone to tell the others but found them gathered around an injured woman. She had an attitude problem and a big ass sword. Daryl promised himself to keep an eye on this woman, he didn't trust her in the slightest. They left her locked in the separate cell block while the others had gone to greet Carol.

'Hey, the woman had formula with her' Carl informed everyone from where he had been rooting through the red basket the woman had been carrying with her. Everyone shared suspicious glances with one another.

'Maybe she has her own child' Carol suggested gently.

'That doesn't explain why she showed up at the prisons fence. She wanted to get in here' Rick said adamantly.

'Or why she has Kat's knife' Carl said quietly, holding out the knife to show everyone.

Daryl snatched up the knife and confirmed that it was the knife that he had given Kat. 'I'm gonna kill the bitch' he yelled, beginning to storm towards the woman with his crossbow raised.

'Hey, hey, hey!' yelled Rick, grabbing his arm and attempting to curb Daryl's sudden temper. 'We need to talk to her quietly get her to trust us to find out what happened. If you kill her we'll never know what happened. Kat was with Glenn and Maggie, they are all very capable. Try not to assume the worst.'

Daryl was still fuming with anger but nodded and allowed Rick to take the lead. He needed to know what happened to Kat. If he had to extract information from her like he did with Randall then he would do that. One way or another they would find the truth.

'We can tend to that wound for you, give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way. But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us and why you were carrying formula' Rick started assertively as himself Daryl and Hershel gathered around the woman.

'The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with two pretty girls' the woman replied.

'What happened?' Rick asked.

'Were they attacked?' Hershel joined in, concerned about his daughter.

'They were taken' she replied stoically.

'Taken? By who?' Rick questioned.

'By the same son of a bitch who shot me' she replied, becoming more agitated by the minute.

'Were they ok?' Daryl interjected.

'One of the girls had a gunshot wound' she told them somberly.

'Who?' yelled Daryl.

'The blonde' she replied.

'Damn it!' yelled Daryl, slamming his hand against the cage behind them. The sound echoed around the room. Kat had been hurt, she could be bleeding out… she could be dead.

'Hey, these are our people. You tell us what happened now!' Rick became agitated with her limited answers. He surged forward and grabbed the woman by her gunshot wound. So much for Rick being able to keep a level head and interrogate her. She fought back and Daryl kept his crossbow pointed at her as a warning.

'Don't you ever touch me again!' she shrieked at Rick.

'You'd better start talking. You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound' Daryl threatened with his crossbow very close to her head. He had had enough of her stupid answers. He needed to know where Kat was. His patience was running out.

'Find 'em yourself' she spat back at him.

'Hey, shh, shh, shh. Put it down' Rick told Daryl, trying to take control of the situation again. 'You came here for a reason.'

The woman looked resigned. Rick was right, she had come here for help obviously. 'There's a town. Woodbury. About 75 survivors. I think they were taken there' she told them.

'A whole town?' Rick questioned, unsure as to whether to believe her. A whole town of people seemed so impossible.

'It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor; pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type' she continued.

'He got muscle?' Daryl asked, already planning how to get their people back.

'Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall' she responded.

'You know a way in?' Rick asked.

'The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through' she told them.

Rick looked sceptical still but nodded. 'How'd you know how to get here?'

'They mentioned a prison, said which direction it was in, that it was a straight shot' she told them honestly.

'This is Hershel, the father of one of the girls who was taken. He'll take care of that' Rick told her, indicating her injury, and began to exit the cell block but stopped. 'And this is Daryl, the other girl who was taken, Daryl is her…' Rick trailed off and looked at Daryl. He just grunted back at Rick, not saying anything. He wasn't anything to Kat but if it made a point then he would let Rick tell this woman anything. 'Daryl is pissed off and won't hesitate to put an arrow through your head if you're lying to us'.

*****

Kat's tears had dried up by the time that Merle entered the room she was tied up in. She felt as though she had been there for hours. She was starting to feel faint from the blood loss, with her arms tied up she could do nothing to stem the bleeding.

'Hey pretty girl' Merle started coming towards her. 'Now I don't have any beef with you, unlike our friend Glenn. I won't lay a finger on you as long as you tell me where y'all are holed up. I want to see my baby brother, you understand that right?' Merle leered at her and Kat just looked straight ahead. She didn't want to look at Merle; she didn't want to break. She couldn't tell him where the prison was. Clearly he hadn't had any luck with either Glenn or Maggie if he was questioning her. If they weren't telling then neither would she.

'Not one for talkin' huh? Maybe that's why my brother likes you. Pretty and keeps her trap shut. Do you stay silent when you spread your legs for him?' Merle taunted her and laughed. Merle reached over to her arm and applied pressure to the wound there, making her shriek in pain. 'Look, I don't wanna hurt ya if my brother likes yer pussy that much. But I need to find him and I'll do whatever it takes. Daryl will forgive me, we're blood. I'm sure he won't mind as long as your face stays pretty.' Merle had approached and was stroking her cheek with the tip of his knife, keeping it blunt against her face so that it wasn't drawing any blood.

Kat had reached her breaking point. Her eyes snapped up to meet Merle's, a single tear streaking down her face that she couldn't contain. 'Go ahead. My father used to say the exact same thing' she spat at him. Merle froze for a moment and took an immediate step back. He searched her eyes for a moment trying to figure out whether she was lying. Was this a ploy to try to get him to leave her alone? Did she know about his own past? Daryl wouldn't have told her about the abuse in their past. Merle felt a sudden twinge of guilt and empathy for this girl, if their fathers were anything alike then she had suffered enough already.

Kat watched the shock play across Merle's face. His eyes had been full of anger and spite but the expression had now dropped into what looked like sympathy. Their eyes met and Kat could see that they were full of understanding. She didn't entirely understand but this man seemed to share her pain. She looked away from him, sure that as soon as the moment was over he was going to hurt her like he had promised.

'Damn it' Merle cursed to himself, running his remaining hand over his head.

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Merle gave her an unsure look but then left the room. He was only on the other side of the door and the walls were made of thin metal. Although the men outside spoke in hushed tones, Kat could still make out every word if she strained to listen.

'So, they know Andrea?' a voice asked Merle.

'But they don't know she's here' Merle replied.

'But they do know your brother' the voice replied.

'Chinaman and the blonde do. Seems the blonde has a little thing with my brother. But I don't know about the brunette. I've never seen her before' Merle replied.

'Their people may come for 'em' the voice responded.

'Maybe' Merle replied.

'Definitely' thought Kat, if the group could only figure out where they had been taken.

'The kid and Andrea both say they went back for me' Merle added.

'So what? He won't break, say where his people are?' the voice questioned.

'He's a tough son of a bitch. Picked that walker apart in minutes' a second unknown voice chimed in. A walker had been released on Glenn? At least it sounded as though he was alright. Kat had to be prepared in case something like that happened to her. She had no idea what she could do though. She was taped securely to the chair and there was nothing else in the room. She was distracted from her planning by the rest of the conversation.

'What's the blonde say?' the first voice spoke again.

'Nothing yet. I think I was just getting through to her' Merle said. Kat was shocked, either Merle thought that his act of sympathy was going to get her to spill the location of the prison or he had just lied for her.

'I'll take care of it' the first voice said decisively. He seemed to be the person in charge. Kat trembled slightly to think of the kind of man who had enough power to control men like Merle.

'I think I can get something out of her. I can use my brother as leverage. She'll crack if I go back in there' Merle said confidently.

There was a moment of silence. 'I'll deal with the brunette then'. Kat worried for the fate of Maggie.

Merle re-entered the room a minute later. Kat gave him a confused look, still very unsure what to make of Daryl's brother. Merle paused for a moment when he heard two of the men having a hushed conversation in the hall. He realised that the girl may have heard their conversation.

'You heard that?' he questioned. She nodded sharply in response. 'Then you know that unless you start telling me something shit is gonna get real ugly real fast.' Kat met his eyes but stayed silent. She refused to tell them anything. She wouldn't endanger the lives of the others. Merle got angry and gripped the back of her hair and pulled her head back, baring her throat to him. He placed his blade gently across her throat. 'You don't want him to come in here and deal with you, believe me. I don't want to hurt you, but he does. And he will unless you give up your hidey hole.' Another tear streaked down Kat's cheek in fear but she remained silent.

Merle released her and slammed his metal hand against the wall in frustration. 'Fine! I'll let him deal with you! Don't say I didn't warn ya. Yer gonna beg for your father before he's done with ya' Merle snarled. He left the room, slamming the door viciously behind him. Kat gave in to her fear and let the tears fall. She was tired of crying but at least she had remained strong.

*****

A short time later another man came into the room. Kat worried that this was the leader and that what Merle had warned her about was going to happen. This seemed to be another lackey though as he cut through her tape bindings grabbed her firmly by the arm and escorted her to another room. She was shoved violently forward but luckily was caught by someone. She looked up and gasped. Glenn had caught her and then put her firmly behind him so that he could defend her but she was in shock over the state of his face. He had been violently beaten. She felt lucky that she had been spared this fate by Merle.

Then a third man appeared holding Maggie's arm, only Maggie was completely topless. Kat gasped in horror. What had they done to her? Glenn raised what looked like a broken part of his chair and threatened them with it, but it was futile as the man that had brought Kat into the room raised a gun at him.

'Drop it' the man said, suddenly pointing his gun at Maggie. Glenn looked as though he were about to cry but dropped his makeshift weapon.

'We're through with games. Now one of you is gonna give up your camp' the man holding Maggie threatened. Kat recognised his voice as the leader. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Maggie's head. No one said anything. He then walked over to Glenn and pointed it at him and Maggie broke.

'The prison' she said. Kat wanted to hug her, god knows what she had been through. Kat briefly made eye-contact with Merle and he looked away from her. Was that guilt in his eyes? She almost wanted to try to send him a message that she was thankful that he had spared her from whatever Maggie had been through.

'The one near Nunez?' Merle asked.

'That place is overrun' the third man said incredulously.

'We took it' Maggie replied.

'How many are you?' the leader asked.

'11. We have 11 now' Maggie confessed.

'11 people cleared that whole prison of biters? Huh?' the leader sounded surprised. He eventually lowered his pistol from Glenn's head and made for the door. However, he stopped and made his way towards Maggie who was now crying. 'Hey, hey. Shh, shh, shh. It's alright. It's alright. Shh. It's alright' he said as he stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead. Kat wanted to punch this guy, he was a sick bastard toying with her like that. Her anger must have shown in her face because Merle made eye contact and shook his head at her in warning. She managed to contain her rage but she was clenching her jaw so tight she thought her teeth might crack.

The leader eventually left and Maggie ran towards Glenn, Glenn embracing her tightly. The other men left the room, Merle being the last to leave. Merle looked at her once more before leaving, a look of guilt and empathy written on his face. Maybe he wasn't all bad.

*****

Kat had tried to be as inconspicuous as possible whilst Glenn had wrapped Maggie in his own shirt and tried to comfort her. She felt like she was intruding. However, it was difficult to give them any privacy when they were stuck in this small room together. Glenn had managed to quiet most of Maggie's crying but she was still shaking and shedding a tear or two. Kat couldn't blame her after what she had been through. She would have been an emotional mess.

'Maggie, did he-' Glenn began to ask.

'No. No' Maggie replied still crying and shaking. 'He barely touched me.'

'You ok Kat? He didn't…' Glenn began again, he couldn't bring himself to use the actual word.

'No' she replied. 'Only Merle interrogated me. I got off easy... other than the gunshot wound.'

'All this time, running from walkers- you forget what people do' Maggie said.

'Men like that have always been abusing people. It didn't start with the apocalypse, trust me' Kat murmured. Glenn and Maggie both looked sympathetically over at Kat, knowing what she alluded to but Kat was looking staunchly down at her knees.

Kat tuned everything else out as she tried to give the couple some privacy. She only paid attention again once Glenn got up and approached the dead walker. She watched in disgust as he pulled off it's arm and then broke it. He walked over to her and handed her a fragment of radius from the arm. Kat knew it would be a valuable weapon but she wished that it didn't make her want to vomit.

*****

Glenn had prepared both Maggie and herself for what they were going to do when people next entered the room. They would try and take down one person each, hopefully they weren't going to be outnumbered. If there were less than three then two would take down the biggest threat. Aim for the weakest areas on the body: the neck, the face, the stomach. These thoughts were echoing around Kat's head as they all heard voices in the corridor and prepared themselves to spring.

Merle and another unknown man entered the room. Glenn and Maggie sprang into action taking one each and Kat took another split second to realise that Merle was the biggest threat and so she raced to Glenn's aid. She didn't really want to kill Merle but if it was his life against theirs then she would do what she had to; to survive. If she could, she would just wound him enough so that they could escape. However, she knew that Glenn was going for the kill.

Kat and Glenn were struggling with Merle as he was stronger and not weakened by blood loss. They also had to be wary not to get too close to his knife-hand. Maggie managed to stab the other man in the neck. However, as he died his finger tightened on the trigger of his gun. Rounds went firing into the wall near their struggle. Merle leapt down onto the floor, taking Kat down with him, pinning her to the floor under him. As he had taken her down he had accidentally swiped her with his knife. She had a gash that started just to the right of her right eyebrow and continued down to just below her ear. She lay on the floor in shock, blood trickling down her face and into her hair. She couldn't feel the pain due to the shock and blood loss from the gash and the bullet wound combined. She had only continued so far on adrenalin. She didn't register the worried eyes of Merle gazing down at her.

Everything blurred around her, she couldn't focus on what was happening. She heard shouting and registered people moving around her but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what was happening. She felt that she had been grabbed and was being forced to walk somewhere. There was relief when she was forced to her knees; she didn't have to stand anymore. A bag was placed over her head and she swayed from side to side, trying to remain on her knees and not to keel over.

She was forced to her feet once more but a second later she was back on the floor when a small explosion made everyone duck for cover. The person supporting her let go and she collapsed. A familiar voice broke through the fog of blood loss.

'Kat? Come on we need to go' Daryl yelled pulling the bag off her head. Maybe her blood loss had taken its toll? Was she hallucinating now? Daryl noticed the wound on her face and on her arm and noted her pale face and unfocused eyes. He slung his arm around her tried to support her as best he could whilst still having one arm free to use his crossbow.

He got her out of there as fast as he could. Daryl was supporting Kat and Rick was supporting Glenn as they ran across the street and into a building. The other three were keeping an eye out for anyone who may have spotted them.

'Ain't no way out back here' Oscar said checking the back.

'Rick, how did you find us?' Maggie asked.

'How bad are you hurt?' Rick asked, ignoring Maggie's question.

'I'll be all right' Glenn confirmed.

'Kat isn't. She's lost a lot of blood' Maggie told them. She looked around and then asked, 'Where's that woman?'

'She was right behind us' Rick said.

'Maybe she was spotted' Oscar suggested.

'Want me to go look for her?' Daryl volunteered, although he hated the thought of leaving Kat in this state.

'No. We gotta get them out of here. She's on her own' Rick stated.

'Daryl, this was Merle. It was. He did this' Glenn told him.

'You saw him?' Daryl asked, shifting looking between Glenn and Kat. Daryl ran his hand gently down the uninjured side of Kat's face and pushed her hair back out of her face.

'Face to face. Threw a walker at me. Did that to Kat. He was gonna execute us' Glenn told him.

'S-So my brother's this governor?' he questioned, not wanting to know the answer.

'No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something' Maggie replied.

'Does he know I'm still with you?' Daryl asked, still cradling Kat in his arms.

'He does now. Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out' Glenn apologised.

'Don't. No need to apologize' Rick told them before looking out the window.

'They're gonna be looking for us' Maggie warned him.

'We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out' Rick asked.

'I'm good' Glenn responded. However, they all looked worriedly towards Kat. She seemed more alert now but she would still need support and she still couldn't defend herself.

'Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him' Daryl started telling Rick, panicking that he might lose his brother again.

'Not now. We're in hostile territory' Rick told him.

'He's my brother. I ain't—' Daryl began.

'Look at what he did! Look, we gotta- we gotta get out of here now' Rick argued.

'Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out' Daryl told him.

'No, no, no. You're not thinking straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk and Kat needs medical help fast. We can't get her out without you. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us? I need you. Kat needs you. Are you with me?' Rick saw him look at Kat with such concern that Rick knew Daryl's answer before he replied.

'Yeah' Daryl sighed, resigned to the fact that he wouldn't see his brother just yet. 'Oscar you take Kat. I need both hands in case I need to use my crossbow. You get her to safety. She is your first priority' Daryl growled. The tall prisoner nodded back solemnly.

Kat's adrenalin was wearing out fast. She was aware of shots being fired around her and a strong arm supporting her waist, dragging her along. She was being led blindly through the literal fog whilst the fog in her mind was closing in again. She wouldn't be conscious for long. She started swaying and all of a sudden she was aware that she had been lifted off her feet and was being carried bridal style. Her last moments of consciousness were looking up at Oscars face as he carried her, feeling herself being dropped on something solid and his face disappearing from her view. Everything after that faded to black and the pain went away.


	7. Chapter 6

Kat opened her eyes, blinked and waited for everything to come back into focus. She winced as she registered the pain in her arm and face. Her memories of what had happened slowly came back and she immediately started to sit up.

'Woah, steady there. Let me help you up. Take it easy' Hershel told her. Kat finally registered that she was back in the prison, in her cell as Hershel gave her his arm to help her sit up in the bed. 'I stitched up both of your wounds. I'm only used to doing stitches on animals so it doesn't normally matter how neat my stitches are. I tried my best but you might end up with a nasty scar on your face.'

'What happened?' she asked, not caring about his last statement. She had enough scars as it was that one more wouldn't bother her. Her last memories were fuzzy. She was with Daryl, Daryl had gotten her away from his brother. No, Oscar had been carrying her, Daryl had provided cover fire. She couldn't remember anything else no matter how hard she tried. 'Daryl? Where is he? I want to talk to Daryl.'

'I think you should wait to talk to Rick' Hershel tried to calm her down.

'Is he dead?' she asked, fearing the worst.

'No, but wait to talk to Rick' he told her gently.

'Where is he? Tell me where Daryl is!' Kat began to get louder and she became more and more worried why the older man wouldn't tell her what was going on.

'Is the patient awake?' Rick asked, trying to lighten the mood while entering the cell.

'What happened Rick?' she asked seriously, letting him know that she wasn't in the mood for joking.

'I'll leave you to it' Hershel said and removed himself from the cell.

'Daryl was providing cover fire and Oscar was carrying you out. Oscar managed to get you on top of a bus but he was shot. He's gone' Rick paused. Kat couldn't believe that he was gone. He seemed such a formidable presence, like nothing could take him down. She wished she'd taken the time to get to know him more. He had died saving her life. 'Me, Glenn and Maggie managed to get you the rest of the way out. Daryl got captured though.'

'Then we need to save him. He needs help' Kat started to heave herself out of the bed.

'Hey, hey, hey. We did. I'm not finished' Rick continued, pushing her back into the bed. 'We got you into a car and you were left with Glenn and Michonne (the woman who helped us get you out of there). The rest of us went back in for Daryl. Woodbury had turned on Merle and we got them both out. Only…' Rick paused and wasn't sure how to break the rest of the news to her.

'What?' Kat urged him.

'Only after what Merle did to you and Glenn we couldn't allow him back here. Daryl refused to leave his brother. He left with him. They're alive though. They'll be ok, they're tough as hell' Rick tried to comfort her.

'No. No! He wouldn't leave us. We need him!' she began to cry. Rick moved closer and wrapped her in his arms until her cries began to quieten. 'Why didn't you just let Merle in, we could have put up with him.'

'You really want Merle around after what he did to you?' Rick asked her, gesturing to her wounds.

'They were both accidents. He actually saved me from a lot worse' Kat said quietly.

Rick seemed shocked for a moment. 'Well, Glenn's injuries weren't an accident. It would cause too much trouble around here. I'm sorry. Daryl made me promise to look after you. I mean to keep that. If you need anything, you come to me.'

Kat appreciated the sentiment but she knew that Rick had enough on his plate at the moment. Rick left the cell and she sat in silence unsure how to process how the person she thought of as her rock was just gone. He was the one who had been grounding her. He knew that and he just left.

*****

'There ain't nothing out here but mosquitoes and ants' Daryl said, standing guard whilst his brother pissed against a tree.

'Patience, little brother. Sooner or later, a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path' Merle said jovially back.

'Even so, that ain't much food' Daryl countered, hoping he could start a decent argument for why they should head back to the prison. Soon after he left he knew he had made a mistake. Merle was driving him crazy with his usual bullshit of just being Merle. He missed the respect he got at the prison. Hell, he even missed the people although he would never say it. He missed Kat.

'More than nothing' Merle shrugged it off.

'I'd have better luck going through one of them houses we passed back on the turnoff' Daryl told him.

'Is that what your new friends taught you? Hmm? How to loot for booty?' Merle asked, judging him as he turned round and zipped up his pants.

'We've been at it for hours. Why don't we find a stream, try to look for some fish?' Daryl suggested.

'I think you're just trying to lead me back to the road, man. Get me over to that prison' Merle caught on to what he was trying to do.

'They got shelter. Food. A pot to piss in. Might not be a bad idea' Daryl told him, trying to sound as casual as possible, as if he didn't care. Actually he cared a lot. He wanted to go back. He just didn't want to leave his brother behind again, he felt too guilty from last time.

'For you, maybe. Ain't gonna be no damn party for me' Merle argued back.

'Everyone will get used to each other' Daryl told him; at least that was the result he was hoping for. He knew that everyone at the prison would make an effort for him but he knew Merle would do nothing but rile them up.

'Are you sure the reason you wanna go back don't have nothin to do with the pussy there?' Merle taunted him.

'What?' Daryl asked, turning to look his brother in the eyes for the first time during the conversation.

'Pretty little blonde that I took. Seemed quite attached to you brother' Merle paused to take in his brothers reaction, then decided to push him further. 'Oh, she didn't say anything but I could see it in her eyes. Don't tell me you haven't nailed her little brother? You too pussy to give it to her?'

'Don't know what you're talkin' bout' Daryl said, looking away from his brother. He was trying desperately not to think of Kat. He didn't want to think about what happened whilst she had been taken.

'Sure you don't' Merle replied sarcastically. 'Suppose it don't matter now anyhow. They're all dead. Makes no difference.'

'How can you be so sure?' Daryl replied, his grip tightening on his gun.

'Right about now he's probably hosting a housewarming party where's he gonna bury what's left of your pals and blondie. Let's hook some fish. Come on' Merle said as he strode off. He didn't see Daryl clenching his fist behind him.

*****

Carol paused outside the cell where Kat had been placed. Rick had left her cell and Kat had been left alone for a while to process the information she had been given. In retrospect, it seemed to have been the worst thing they could have done for her. Hershel had entered the cell a few hours later to check up on her and she wouldn't respond to him. Beth had gone in to try and get her to eat something and she had eaten, but only when pushed. She still hadn't said a word and it was nearly 24 hours later.

That wasn't the only thing they were having to worry about. Rick seemed to be hallucinating and had spent the morning outside the fences, no one could get him inside. Everyone was also worried about Glenn who seemed intent on revenge and Maggie who was trying to cope with what had happened to her at Woodbury. They were also still keeping a close eye on Michonne, who they still didn't trust. Carol gave a loud sigh, she had no idea what to do for the best. They were a mess.

Beth emerged from Kat's cell with a half full bowl. 'I managed to get her to eat some more broth. I still couldn't get her to talk to me though' Beth told her. 'I can't believe he left her.'

'We all thought that there might be something going on between the two of them but I don't think anyone expected how much it would affect her for Daryl to leave' Carol said.

'Maggie says he was real torn up about leaving. Didn't take the decision lightly' Beth told Carol.

'Merle is blood. Daryl has his code. I don't think he would think about it twice normally. If he was torn up about leaving, I think we all know why that would be' Carol responded. 'I'll go in and talk to her.'

Carol left Beth and entered the cell. What she saw shocked her. The girl somehow looked even worse than when they had first found her. Although physically she was in better condition, it was her eyes that scared her. When they had first found her, Kat's eyes had been full of emotion, although it was mostly fear. Now they just seemed empty, like her emotions were too much for her to deal with and so she had constructed a wall around them. The girl just sat staring at the wall, not taking anything in.

'Kat?' Carol started gently. Kat seemed to register the voice and automatically looked at the person and then went back to looking at the wall. However, Carol's presence seemed to suddenly register with her and she did a double take. Carol saw the wall around her emotions crumble.

'Carol?' Kat cried. 'We thought you were dead.'

'I know darling' Carol said, wrapping her arms around the girl. 'Daryl found me in the tombs. I had passed out there after T-Dog helped me escape.' The girl sobbed louder at the mention of Daryl.

'He's gone. He left me' the girl sobbed into her shoulder as Carol rocked her back and forth like a child.

'I know. I know' Carol said as she shed a few of her own tears. She was close to Daryl as well and would miss her friend. 'We all know that he didn't want to leave you. But Merle is his brother. He left Merle behind once and his conscience wouldn't let him do it again. He knew here was the safest place for you. I'm sure if he thought it was for the best, he would have taken you with him.'

'I just hurt so much' Kat cried.

'I know it doesn't help much now but it will get better. You'll get past this. You just need to find your reason to carry on' Carol told her, thinking of how she had to choose to carry on after the death of Sophia. Kat cried for a long time and Carol just sat there holding her, soothing her and whispering occasional words of comfort. Kat couldn't remember a time that her own mother had ever held her like this. She had been so dependent on Daryl for comfort that she hadn't seen that the others were also becoming like a family to her. Maybe this could be what helped her to carry on.

*****

Daryl was fuming mad. They had just saved that family from walkers, well, he had saved that family from walkers. Merle had only stepped in to have Daryl's back. Then Merle was going to rob that family in return. He knew that in the past he wouldn't have thought twice about doing that. Now, everything was different. His time with the group without Merle had changed him. They had seen enough people in this new world that treated everyone else like shit. Why did they need to be the same way?

'The shit you doing, pointing that thing at me?' Merle raged at him as he walked off, back into the forest.

'They were scared, man' Daryl started to say.

'They were rude is what they were. Rude and they owed us a token of gratitude' Merle said, showing that how he viewed this new world hadn't changed since they had last been together.

'They didn't owe us nothing' Daryl replied. He had had enough of Merle. He needed to let his brother know that he had changed and if Merle didn't like it then he could go off on his own and Daryl would return to the prison. There he was valued, there he was respected, there he was l… He shook off that thought.

'You helping people out of the goodness of your heart? Even though you might die doing it? Is that something your Sheriff Rick taught you?' taunted Merle.

'There was a baby!' Daryl yelled. He had grown close to lil ass kicker and he especially couldn't stand the thought of a child getting hurt.

'Oh, otherwise you would have just left them to the biters, then?' Merle asked sarcastically. Daryl knew what he meant and he was right. He still would have helped the family even with no baby.

'Man, I went back for you. You weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand, neither. You did that. Way before they locked you up on that roof. You asked for it' Daryl yelled back.

'You know- you know what's funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick are like this now. Right? I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we were planning on robbing that camp blind. Bet blondie doesn't know either. She wouldn't be so eager to spread her legs for you then' Merle hit a sore spot with Daryl. The idea of robbing the camp hadn't bothered him at the time. It was Merle's idea but he would have just gone along with it. But now the thought that he might have robbed those people sat horribly in his chest.

'It didn't happen' Daryl snarled.

'Yeah, it didn't 'cause I wasn't there to help you' Merle said.

'What, like when we were kids, huh? Who left who then?' Daryl yelled.

'What? Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?' Merle yelled back.

'You lost your hand 'cause you're a simpleminded piece of shit' Daryl yelled and started to walk away from the yelling match.

'Yeah? You don't know!' Merle yelled and grabbed his shirt to stop him. The shirt tore off Daryl's back and revealed a criss-cross of scars that littered his back. 'I- I didn't know he was-' Merle stammered, taking in the evidence of their fathers abuse.

'Yeah, he did. He did the same to you. That's why you left first' Daryl said quietly.

'I had to, man. I would have killed him otherwise.' Merle tried to justify. 'Maybe this is why you and blondie get along so well' Merle mumbled to himself.

'What?' Daryl snarled, not hearing what he had said except for something about Blondie. He just assumed that Merle was insulting her again.

'Where you going?' asked Merle as Daryl turned and started walking away when Merle hadn't answered him.

'Back where I belong' Daryl said, finally accepting the inevitable. He had to return to the prison. His chest had been hurting with every step they took away from it.

'I can't go with you. I tried to kill that black bitch. Damn near killed the Chinese kid' Merle tried to argue him into staying.

'He's Korean' Daryl retorted.

'Whatever. Doesn't matter, man. I just can't go with you' Merle said.

'You know, I may be the one walking away... but you're the one that's leaving—again' Daryl said before turning and trudging back into the forest. He was heading home and that thought made him smile.

*****

'Do you want to go for a walk? Get some fresh air?' Carol suggested. Carol had remained by Kat's side and had comforted her. Kat knew she couldn't make Carol her new rock. She needed to not be dependent on one person. That left her weak if they left or were killed. She would try to spend more time with the rest of the group.

'That sounds nice. It would do me good to get out of my head for a bit' Kat replied. Carol left her to change her clothes and Kat joined her in the cellblock. On the way outside they ran into Axel.

'What are you lovely ladies planning on doing?' he asked.

'We're just going outside for a walk. Get some fresh air. It's a nice day' Carol replied.

'Not sure how fresh it'll be with the rotters out there but do you mind if I accompany you' he smiled at them.

'Not at all' Carol replied. Axel held out an elbow for each of them and the two ladies laughed as they hooked their arms across his elbows and he escorted them outside. Once they were outside Carol and Axel chatted back and forth but Kat was watching Rick. He had gone off the rails after he had spoken to her. Kat felt sympathy for the man that he hadn't had time to properly grieve for his wife with looking after the rest of the group.

Axel was joking with Carol about his brother when a shot went off. Kat watched it hit Axel in the head, spraying her with blood as he collapsed to the floor. Kat ran backwards and managed to press herself against one of the prison walls. She hoped that there weren't multiple shooters and that the wall might provide some cover.

Kat had felt a bit paranoid about going outside for the first time after being abducted by Merle. She had brought both her knife and her gun with her on a whim. She was glad for that paranoia now. She pulled the gun out and made sure the safety was off. Kat glanced around, she could see Rick and Hershel being shot at in the distance. Carol was under fire by someone who had managed to get into one of the guard towers. She was managing to use Axel's body as a shield, she was extremely lucky that the bullets weren't passing straight through his body. They needed to take down that shooter before that happened. She looked over to see Carl trying to take down the shooter but he and Beth were further away and under fire themselves.

In moments like these people tend to say that everything slows down but for Kat it was the opposite. She had no time to register that this was a human being she was shooting at and not a walker. In that moment it was either his life or Carol's. Luckily, the shooter hadn't spotted her in her position behind the wall so he was taken by surprise when a shot hit him straight in the chest. Kat watched as her shot hit the man, killing him. She had been aiming for the head but it was close enough for now. Someone would have to make sure he didn't come back as walker later though.

Maggie came rushing out of the prison handing a gun to Beth and taking out another shooter, allowing Carol the chance to run and join the rest of them, where she was also handed a gun. They watched in horror as a truck drove straight through the fences, releasing walkers into the field that Hershel still occupied.

Maggie ran towards the gate, unlocking it and throwing it open. Kat followed her immediately and started taking down walkers, thinking of nothing but saving Hershel. Michonne was hacking walkers apart with her katana and Kat began covering her movements, taking as many walkers down as possible. Michonne had the best chance of getting to Hershel in time. Michonne looked momentarily surprised when walkers started disappearing from in front of her and gave a nod when she glanced up at Kat.

Thankfully, Glenn returned at that moment in the truck. He and Michonne managed to get Hershel into the truck and started to drive back. The group still stood shooting, taking out as many walkers as possible with what ammo they had left. They managed to get behind the gate and Carl rushed to shut it, whilst Maggie and Beth rushed to check their father was ok.

'You alright?' Kat asked Michonne, who seemed surprised that someone was checking on her.

'Yeah' she replied stoically. That seemed to be all the response Kat was going to get for her so she turned towards the rest of the group but was surprised to hear a murmured 'Thanks' from behind her. Kat smiled in return.

'No problem' she replied.

The rest of the group gathered at the gate to check whether Rick was alright. He had been out there alone and walkers had been drawn in by the noise. Everyone was shocked that he seemed perfectly well and was stood at the fence with two other figures.

Kat locked on to a familiar pair of blue eyes. 'Daryl' she whispered.


	8. Chapter 7

Daryl's heart leapt as he spotted Kat. She was covered in blood but she didn't look to be in much pain. She was ok. He kept repeating that in his mind. Now that he was back, he was ready to admit to himself that his feelings for Kat went beyond friendship. He only hoped that she would forgive him for leaving.

Daryl, Rick and Merle made their way up to the group. Rick split off quickly checking that everyone was ok. Merle hung back while Daryl made a beeline straight for Kat.

'You ok?' she asked him quietly.

'I am now' Daryl said, allowing himself a small smile at her. 'You?'

She didn't return the smile. She just nodded and turned her back on him and headed straight into the prison. He wanted to call her back and ask her to forgive him. His mouth opened and closed several times but he couldn't find the words.

'Ya ok?' Daryl asked Carol as she approached him. She was also covered in blood that didn't seem to be her own.

'I am. But Kat wasn't. You hurt her Daryl' Carol told him but gave him a small smile. 'But I'm glad you're back.'

Daryl ran his hands through his hair in frustration and began to bite on his thumb. He needed for Kat to forgive him. He was never good at this emotional crap. He could never express his emotions. She had come to mean a lot to him but he couldn't tell her. Any past experiences with girls had been drunken encounters that meant nothing. How was he supposed to deal with this crap?

He followed everyone back up into the cell block where they seemed to be congregating to discuss what was happening next. Merle made to follow Daryl into the cell block but Rick shut the door firmly in front of him, locking it, making it clear that Merle wasn't welcome. It was probably for the best after what Merle had done to Glenn.

'We're not leaving' stated Rick.

'We can't stay here' replied Hershel.

Daryl tuned out for a second as he watched Kat look back and forth between the people speaking. She was absent-mindedly running her fingers along her arm, where he knew her gunshot wound to be. The fight couldn't have helped her gunshot wound, Daryl worried to himself. Daryl began to listen again when he heard his brother get involved.

'You got a better idea?' Rick asked Merle.

'Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now' Merle told them.

'We ain't scared of that prick' Daryl sneered.

'Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to' Merle said condescendingly.

'Let's put him in the other cell block' Maggie interjected.

'No. He's got a point' Daryl told her.

'He could be useful. He could give us intel' Kat sided with Daryl. Daryl turned to try to make eye contact with her but she was refusing to look at him.

'This is all you. You started this' Maggie yelled at Merle.

'What difference whose fault it is? What do we do?' Beth asked.

Daryl stopped listening again as he watched Kat turn her back and disappear into her cell. Apparently she had had enough of the arguing.

*****

Kat sat on her bed with her head in her hands. She was unsure of what to make of Daryl's return. She was happy he was back but she was still pissed that he had left in the first place. She was still resolute in her mind about being more independent. She couldn't allow herself to rely on him again. She didn't know how long he planned to stay for.

She looked up as Carol entered her cell. 'How are you doing?' she asked Kat.

'Shouldn't I ask you that? You were almost shot!' Kat replied.

'I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. Thank you for taking down that man' Carol thanked her. Kat just smiled in response. 'Do you want me to check your bandages?'

'If you don't mind' Kat replied, rolling up her sleeve so that Carol could access the wound on her arm.

Carol gently unwrapped the bandages and discarded them on the floor as they were now coated in blood. She gently checked the stitches on both her arm and face. 'They seem to be ok. You've pulled them slightly and have made them bleed but they haven't come out. You need to try and take it easy if at all possible for the next few days' Carol instructed her.

Kat smiled and nodded. 'I'll do my best' she smirked.

Carol was re-bandaging her arm when a third person entered the cell. Kat looked up and saw Daryl and immediately became more interested in Carol bandaging her shoulder. Carol finished and then stood.

'I'll leave the two of you to talk' Carol said gently.

'No, but didn't you need to…' Kat desperately tried to think of a reason to make Carol stay. She at least hoped that Carol would pick up on how desperately she didn't want to be left alone with Daryl.

'No, I was finished' Carol smiled and left before Kat could think of anything else to say.

'Are you mad at me?' Daryl started, Kat still adamantly avoiding his eyes.

'No' she sighed. 'I was just disappointed that you left.'

Daryl was glad that she wasn't angry at him for leaving. He also felt his hopes rise that she might forgive him and he might be able to begin to show her how he felt about her.

'But maybe it was a good thing. I can't depend on you. Nothing is sure in this world. You might leave again or you might die. We don't always get the luxury of saying goodbye' Kat continued.

'I'm sorry for leaving you behind. I regretted it the moment I left. I'm back now. I'm not leaving again' Daryl begged her with his eyes to understand what he was trying to say.

'I'm glad you're back but maybe it was for the best' she gave him a sad smile.

Daryl felt his heart sink. He just couldn't tell her how he felt. He'd told her he wouldn't leave but he couldn't deal with it if she rejected him now. He needed to give her time to forgive him, to trust him again. Maybe with time he could prove how he felt about her.

'I'm sorry that Merle did this to you' Daryl changed the subject as he saw Kat readjust the bandage slightly.

'It's fine. The injuries were mostly accidents. Besides his bark is worse than his bite' she muttered.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Daryl questioned, suspicious about the bitterness behind her words.

'Nothing. It doesn't matter' Kat shook her head.

'Kat. Tell me. Why won't you talk to me?' Daryl asked.

'You won't want to hear the answer' she sighed.

'Tell. Me' he gripped her chin firmly and looked her dead in the eyes. Whatever it was, it was something he needed to hear.

'It's just the things he said… about you. He thought we were together, you know?' she questioned, looking him in the eyes. Looking for some glimmer that he might believe her over whatever his brother might have told him.

'He thought we were together and he still did this?' he snarled.

'He said you wouldn't care as long as my face stayed pretty' she said angrily.

'Damn it!' Daryl yelled and kicked the end of the bed hard, making the sound echo around the cell.

'So it was ok when he hurt me before? But not now that he thought we were together?' Kat yelled at him, suddenly angry at Daryl's reaction.

'No! It wasn't ok before! But… I… I woulda thought that if someone meant something to me then that would be the one thing that would stop him. It's why I thought it might be safe to bring him here' Daryl tried to reason with her. 'Maybe we should just leave again' he muttered, feeling defeated by Kat being angry with him. He just made everything worse.

'Maybe you should' she spat back at him. She was hurt that her injuries only mattered now.

Daryl kicked the end of the bed again and stormed out of the cell. This was not the way he had wanted this conversation to play out. He wasn't leaving her again, no matter what. But he had royally screwed up whatever had been between them before. She didn't want him close to her anymore and now she was angry at him as well.

*****

Daryl headed straight for Merle's cell, passing Hershel on his way. Hershel stopped as if he wanted to talk to Daryl but seemed to think better of it when he saw the look of anger on Daryl's face. He just let Daryl pass and went on his own way, shaking his head as he went.

'You thought she was my girl and you still hurt her?' Daryl yelled at Merle as soon as he was in sight.

'Thought she wasn't your girl?' smirked Merle.

'I… well you thought she was and you still hurt her?' Daryl snarled.

'I was just doin' ma job' sighed Merle.

'To hell with your job! You shot her and cut up her face. I get that you hurt Glenn, you thought he left you behind on the roof. You hurt Maggie to get to Glenn. But her? You knew she meant something to me and you still hurt her?' Daryl yelled.

'I saved her from a hell of a lot worse. You don't know what the Governor would have done to her' Merle yelled back. 'Besides, it was an accident. After she mentioned her daddy I couldn't do it. She reminded me of me.' Merle ran a hand through his hair and looked oddly thoughtful.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Daryl asked, unsure of how to take his brothers change in attitude.

'She mentioned that her daddy used to beat her. Is that why you claimed her as yours? Two broken souls together, poetic huh?' Merle said sarcastically, unsure of how to deal with this topic in any other way.

'She told you she was beaten?' Daryl asked, quiet all of a sudden. He couldn't believe that he hadn't known that but she had told Merle.

'Well no. Hinted at it' Merle replied. He suddenly took in his brother's solemn attitude. 'Wait, you didn't know?'

*****

Daryl had stormed out of Merle's cell and had sat down on one of the beds in one of the cells. He was still mainly sleeping out on the perch but had claimed this cell to keep all his stuff in, to have some private space. He needed to process everything he had learnt. Why hadn't Kat trusted him with this information?

His cell didn't stay private for long as Carol entered. 'You know we're all glad you came back, especially Kat' she smiled at him.

'To what? All this?' Daryl shrugged. They didn't have much here and bringing Merle back was a mistake. He just couldn't bring himself to leave Kat again.

'This is our home' Carol assured him.

'This is a tomb' he countered.

'That's what T-Dog called it. Thought he was right till you found me' she reassured him. Her smile then faded as she continued. 'He's your brother, but he's not good for you. Don't let him bring you down. After all, look how far you've come.' They both laughed at this.

'I don't know what to do about it. Everyone hates him. He hurt Glenn and Maggie… and Kat' Daryl paused and suddenly wondered whether Carol knew. Had Kat trusted Carol? Had she trusted others and just not him? 'Did you know? Did you know she was abused?' Carol nodded.

'She trusted you and Merle and not me' he muttered.

'I didn't know for sure. I guessed. You tend to recognise the signs in others' Carol looked pointedly at Daryl. She knew about him and Merle.

'She told Merle. Why wouldn't she trust me with that?' he asked.

'I don't know why she told Merle. I don't know why she didn't trust you. Maybe this is something you should be asking her and not stewing about in here' Carol turned to leave but at the last minute turned back to Daryl. 'You didn't see her when you left. You mean a lot to her. She's becoming more independent but she's still fragile. Don't you dare hurt her again or you'll have me to deal with.' Carol smiled at Daryl as she left. He was one of the people she was closest to in the prison but Kat brought back those motherly feelings of hers. God help Kat if she hurt Daryl though. Both of them were fragile and needed someone to have their backs. Maybe they could fix each other.

*****

'Why didn't you trust me? You told Merle about your dad but not me? I held you through those nightmares. I thought they were about just being in that basement but they were about him weren't they?' Daryl questioned. He made Kat jump as she had been lost in her thoughts in her cell. Daryl noticed the streaks of tears that had dried on her cheeks. She had obviously been crying after their argument.

'I didn't want you to look at me differently. I'm broken Daryl. This is why I'm so dependent on everyone. I've been told how worthless I am almost my whole life. You get told that long enough; you start to believe it' Kat said quietly.

'Didn't you think I would understand? Hell you don't know nothing' Daryl took his shirt off and stood with his back to her. His angry breathing seemed very loud in the silence of the cell as Kat took in the scars on his back. Daryl flinched when he felt an unexpected touch on his back.

'Your father?' she questioned.

'Yeah, he was a mean drunk. They're from his belt and his cigarettes. Merle got the brunt of it first but when he left I became punching bag number one' Daryl explained.

'He only started after my mom left us. I was the only one around to take the brunt of his anger' Kat began her story. Daryl began to turn around to face her but Kat gripped his arm tightly, telling to stay facing away. It was easier for her to tell him this without looking at his face. She didn't want to see his reactions. 'He started hitting me, pushing me around, locking me in my room. Pushed me down the stairs once and I broke my leg. Came back from the hospital with those crutches Hershel has. He locked me in my room and locked the crutches in his closet. I tried to run away a couple times, but he always brought me back, bought more locks for my door.'

'That's how you ended up in that basement? We all assumed your daddy had locked you in there to keep you safe' Daryl asked surprised. No one had thought that she had been intentionally locked down there. Kat continued to trace her fingers along Daryl's scars. He felt uncomfortable about this but kept as still as possible. He wanted to hear what Kat had to say and he wouldn't jeopardize that by moving.

'No he didn't give a damn about my safety' Kat began to trace the tattoo of the demons on Daryls back with her finger. 'I like your tattoo.'

'I always carry my demons with me.'

'What if your demons are too much for you? I carry around so much guilt. Some days it feels like I'm just going to drown in it' Kat whispered.

'It wasn't your fault. Why do you feel guilty?' Daryl said adamantly.

'I don't feel guilty for the beatings… I don't feel guilty about what that bastard did to me. I feel guilty about my baby' Kat said, taking Daryl by surprise.

'Your baby?' he asked, wanting to turn around but held in place by the fear that she would clam up and shy away from him.

'When my father first started hitting me I could still leave the house. I'd drink, smoke, fuck. Looking back it was probably a cry for attention, for someone to notice the abuse. Of course my vices caught up with me. I wound up pregnant, no idea who the father was. But I loved that baby. Kept it a secret from my father as long as I could; wore lots of baggy clothing, kept out of his way as much as possible. When he found out he locked me in my room; that was the beginning of never being allowed out. He gave me food and water and let me out to use the bathroom. I gave birth 10 weeks later in that room. I was obviously in a lot of pain but I was lucky that everything had gone quite smoothly. My dad came into the room, cut the umbilical cord and left with my baby. I was too weak to stop him. He came in and took my baby. I never even got to hold it' she sobbed into Daryl's back. He turned and wrapped her tightly in his arms. Once she had started her whole story just kept pouring out. She had never told anyone else. Not that she had seen many people after it had happened. It was good to get it off her chest.

'What did he do with the baby?' Daryl asked gently.

'He taunted me for a while, telling me he had drowned it in the stream.' Daryl tightened his arms around her, scared for this to be the truth. 'He admitted when he was drunk one time that he dropped it outside a hospital. When I was alone in my room I liked to imagine that it was adopted by a loving family and that it was having a better life than I ever could have provided for it' Kat cried.

Daryl just held her until her tears stopped. There wasn't much he could say to comfort her. He was amazed by what she had lost and that she had got through it in as good a condition as she was in. A lot of other people would have given up after what she had been through.

'Please don't tell anyone about this' she begged.

'Trust me' Daryl said and put his fingers under her chin to tilt her head up to look at him.

'I'd trust you with my life' she said back, nothing but honesty in her eyes. Kat looked deep into Daryl's eyes and was amazed at the depth of emotion there. She couldn't put a name to it but she suddenly found herself leaning closer and glancing between Daryl's eyes and his lips. Her breath hitched as they got closer and closer.

'Andreas here! She's coming towards the prison. She's alone. We need you outside!' Carl yelled out in the cell block, interrupting the moment.

*****

Kat joined Carol on the walkway above the yard with her gun at the ready. She watched as Rick checked Andrea over for weapons and was quite brutal with her. When it seemed that they were safe Kat and Carol retreated back into the cell block. Kat decided to hang back by the door, seeing as how she didn't know Andrea.

She watched as Carol greeted Andrea and how Andrea took in her surroundings. She asked where several people were, Kat only recognising the names of Lori and T-Dog. She cringed as she realised that all of the people Andrea was expecting to see were dead.

'You all live here?' Andrea asked.

'Here and the cell block' Glenn told her.

'There? Well, can I go in?' Andrea asked and started to move toward the cell block. Kat stepped forward and blocked the entrance. She didn't like how this woman was presuming that she could just wonder into their home. They didn't know why she was here after all. She could be a spy for the governor.

'I won't allow that' Rick glowered at her.

'Who's this?' Andrea questioned, glaring at Kat.

'This is Kat. Found her on a run. Took her in' Daryl glared back at Andrea, standing protectively in front of Kat.

Andrea dropped the subject due to the look on Daryl's face. 'I'm not an enemy, Rick.'

'We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up' Rick said.

'He said you fired first' Andrea said, surprised.

'Well, he's lying' Rick countered.

'He killed an inmate who survived in here' Hershel said solemnly.

'We liked him. He was one of us' Daryl added.

Kat found herself trying to make eye contact with Daryl, to thank him for protecting her. She managed to catch his eyes and gave him a small smile but he just looked away quickly and Kat couldn't interpret the serious expression on his face. She found that she was doubting herself. She had thought that in the moment earlier that Daryl might have been about to kiss her. Maybe she had misread the situation. Maybe she had crossed a line.

'I'm gonna help Beth with Judith' Kat said, dismissing herself from the situation. Kat was stopped on her way out by a hand around her wrist.

'Ya sure?' Daryl asked quietly, looking concerned.

'I'm sure. It'll do me some good' Kat gave him a small smile in return. Even if she had crossed a line with trying to kiss him, he still cared. If he just wanted to be her friend then that was fine. She just needed Daryl in her life.


	9. Chapter 8

Daryl drove down the road on his motorcycle, he should have his mind on the meeting with the governor but his thoughts still revolved around Kat. He couldn't help but replay how they had almost kissed before the moment was broken and he had pulled away. He was ashamed; he had almost taken advantage of her emotional state. He so badly wanted to kiss her but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she regretted it afterwards. He wanted their relationship to mean more, she meant so much more to him. He wasn't sure how she had taken his pulling away though. She had also retreated to a safe distance afterwards. She hadn't slept in his bed since the incident. He couldn't tell whether it was because she regretted what had happened or whether she was upset that he had pulled away. He just couldn't understand women.

They got closer to the meeting point where they were supposed to meet with the Governor. Daryl was under no illusion that this meeting would result in peace. He needed to keep his mind clear though in case anything were to go wrong. He pushed his thoughts of Kat to the side for now. There was plenty of time to agonise over them later.

*****

Kat was helping to arm the prison in case the Governor attacked. Everyone was working on bits and pieces. Kat was sticking close to Merle though; with Daryl gone, Glenn had asked her to keep an eye on him. Over the past few days Merle seemed to make an effort to be useful to the group. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep his mouth shut and antagonised most of the group still. He had been riling up the others by talking about going after the governor. Normally, it would roll off their backs but Glenn wasn't himself after they had returned from the prison. Kat could see the rage building up in him and so was doing her best to run interference between the two.

'Did I ever say I was sorry for your scars?' Merle asked quietly, one of the few times they had been left alone together in the cell block.

'No you haven't. Did Daryl tell you to apologise?' she asked, curious as to whether he was genuine.

'He might have mentioned it. But since when did I do what anyone told me? I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it' Merle told her.

'Well you still haven't said it' she teased him slightly.

Merle scowled but muttered 'I'm sorry.'

'I forgive you. They were both accidents. I wanted to thank you for saving me from the Governor. I get the feeling he would have done a lot worse to me' she said genuinely.

'He would have. He still will given half the chance. Which is why we need to get out there now. No use fighting fair. We need to get him while he's as isolated as he's ever gonna be' Merle told her adamantly, stuffing some ammo and guns in his bag.

'You're not thinking of going after him alone are you?' she asked, shocked that he seemed prepared to leave.

'Well everyone else here seems to be too pussy to go' Merle replied.

'Hey, you're not going' Glenn interjected, having come into the cell block and seen Merle ready to leave.

'I don't need permission' Merle said.

'I can't let you' Glenn stood in his way.

'You can't stop me' Merle threatened.

'If you're gonna live here with us, it's gonna be on our terms. If Michonne can do it, why can't you?' Maggie questioned.

''Cause it's my brother out there, that's why. What's the matter with y'all?' Merle sneered at them all.

'I'm not gonna let you put them in danger' Glenn practically whispered when Merle got into his face.

'Nut up already, boy. This guy cops a feel of your woman and you pussy out like this? Get out of my way' Merle threatened Glenn.

'No' Glenn refused.

'Get out of my way!' Merle said again and tried to push Glenn. The shove pushed Glenn over the edge and he dived on Merle. They both rolled down the stairs, trying to hit each other when they landed on the bottom. Merle seemed to have the edge, having a built-in weapon on the end of his hand. Maggie jumped on to Merle's back and managed to pull him off. Kat jumped in at this point between the two. She was the only one she could guarantee that Merle would hesitate to hurt. She placed herself between the two and indicated for Maggie to let go of Merle who was screaming to be released. Merle saw who was stood between him and his target and sighed. He knew he couldn't hurt Kat without repercussions from his brother. He realised that the fight was over but the rage was still simmering within him.

'Merle you need to calm down. I get that you're worried about Daryl but he will be fine. He can hold his own. We all want the Governor put down as much as you but we can't risk putting Daryl and the others in danger. We wait until they come back. If they haven't solved anything then we revisit your idea. Ok? Please' she begged him with her eyes. Her hands still spread between the two men, in case they felt the urge to jump on each other again.

'Fine' he muttered. He slammed his bag down on the table and stormed off into the cell-block.

'We should put a leash on him, like the dog he is' Glenn spat as Merle disappeared.

'Hey' Kat rounded on him, pointing a finger at him. 'You need to stop being a jackass. This isn't the Glenn that saved me from that basement. I liked him. It says a lot when I think I prefer Merle's company to yours at the moment.' Kat turned and walked past a stunned Michonne, Beth and Maggie as she went to find Merle. Hopefully she could calm him down a bit more and persuade him to help out again. At the moment they needed every person they could get.

*****

After the meeting had finished, Daryl travelled back on his motorcycle. He entered the cell block and the rest of the group had gathered within the communal area but Kat and Merle were missing.

'Where's Kat and my brother?' Daryl asked.

'They went off into one of the cells' Glenn sneered. Daryl could tell that something had happened in his absence and it wasn't helping Merle's case for staying at the prison.

'Bring them in here, they need to hear this' Rick told him.

Daryl entered the cell block and found them in Kat's cell. She was sat on her bed and Merle was sat in a chair nearby. Daryl was surprised by the look on Merle's face. He was clearly comfortable with Kat and something he said made her throw her head back and laugh. Daryl felt a surge of jealousy that she was so comfortable around his brother. He was glad that they seemed to be bonding and that she'd forgiven him for her injuries but she had barely spoken to him all week. It should be him making her laugh like that.

'Come on you two, Rick needs to talk to us all' Daryl called.

They both looked up and smiled that he was back. Kat nodded and silently moved past him, while Merle clapped him on the shoulder.

'You've got a good one there brother' Merle said, surprising Daryl.

'So, I met this Governor' Rick began once they were all gathered. 'Sat with him for quite a while.'

'Just the two of you?' Merle asked.

'Yeah' Rick answered.

'Should have gone when we had the chance, bro' Merle said to Daryl.

'He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead for what we did to Woodbury. We're going to war' Rick said with finality.

*****

'It's the only way' Rick told Daryl, looking between Daryl and Hershel, who was with them. Rick had just explained that the Governor had given them a deal. Michonne in exchange for peace. 'No one else knows.'

'You gonna tell 'em?' Daryl questioned. This should be something that the group discussed. They were talking about giving over a person. A person that some of the group had started to bond with.

'Not till after. We have to do it today. It has to be quiet.' Rick said, clearly his mind made up.

'You got a plan?' Daryl asked. Rick had got them through some tough shit in the past. Even if Daryl didn't agree with his decisions now, he would trust Rick and follow his lead.

'We tell her we need to talk. Away from the others' Rick replied.

'Just ain't us, man' Daryl would follow Rick's lead but it didn't mean he wouldn't try to change his mind. This decision wouldn't sit well with any of the others.

'No. No, it isn't' Hershel agreed and left as fast as his crutches would allow. This would trouble Hershel's faith.

'We do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies' Rick said.

'Okay' Daryl nodded. He had Kat and Merle safe in the prison. If doing this would protect them, then he would go along with it.

'We need someone else' Rick said pointedly.

'I'll talk to him' Daryl said, immediately catching on that Rick meant Merle.

'I'll do it' Rick said.

'I'll go with you' Daryl hoped to mediate the situation.

'No. Just me' Rick refused. Daryl wasn't sure why Rick wanted to go alone but he nodded and watched Rick disappear into the cell block in search of Merle. Daryl followed shortly after and found himself pacing whilst chewing on his thumb. This decision still didn't sit right with him.

'Hey, what's wrong?' Kat asked as she made her way back from the bathroom.

'Why'd ya think something is wrong?' Daryl questioned.

'You only chew your thumb like that when you're nervous or something is bothering you' she replied staring pointedly at his hand. Daryl immediately dropped his thumb out from between his teeth as if to argue with what she was saying but she fixed him with a pointed stare. He wasn't going to get out of this.

'Ok' he sighed. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into an empty cell, doing a quick check behind them to make sure that there wasn't anyone around to eavesdrop.

'The Governor offered Rick a deal' he started.

'But Rick said there were no options' Kat said, confused.

'It's not a good option. We have to give up Michonne. The Governor wants her real bad. Rick plans on doing that today to have peace between us' Daryl told her.

'He can't give up Michonne. She's one of us! We have no guarantee that he'll do what he says. He could just take Michonne and attack us anyway! You can't let him do this!' Kat said passionately, her voice rising with her anger.

'Shhh, keep your voice down. No one else knows. You're not supposed to know so you can't go saying anything' Daryl tried to quiet her. 'Hershel tried to talk him out of it. He has his mind pretty set on giving up Michonne to make sure no one else dies. I don't think he'll go through with it though. That's just not Rick. I'll work on it. I promise.'

*****

Glenn, Michonne, Daryl and Kat had gone out into the field. Maggie and Carl were distracting most of the walkers so that Glenn and Daryl could put some barbed wire near the gate so that if anyone tried to come through in a vehicle they would end up with blown out tires. Michonne and Kat were there to keep any stray walkers back. Michonne didn't really need any help with that job but Kat had insisted. After Daryl had told her the plan, she planned on sticking as close to Michonne as possible. If Rick wanted Michonne to just disappear and claim that she had left on her own and never tell the others then he had another thing coming. She would stick by Michonne and if they wanted to take her then they had to tell the others.

Michonne seemed confused and slightly uncomfortable with Kat following her around so closely. The others seemed amused by Kat's new behaviour as well. Michonne slowly accepted Kat following her but still remained silent as ever.

The men got the barbed wire down fast and they all piled back into the truck to drive back up to the yard. Rick opened the gate as he greeted them.

'They try to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them' Glenn told Rick.

'That's a good idea' Rick approved.

'It was Michonne's' Daryl hinted.

'She's full of great ideas for the defence of the prison. She's a real asset' Kat said pointedly. Daryl gave her a glare. She wasn't exactly making it discrete that she knew the plan. Rick caught on and gave Daryl a pointed look and Daryl nodded in return to confirm that Kat knew. Rick sighed and rolled his eyes at him.

'We don't have to win. We just have to make their getting at us more trouble than it's worth' Michonne told Rick, completely oblivious to the silent conversation occurring between the three of them.

'Let's go' Rick indicated to the group and they all followed him back into the cell block.

*****

'Merle. You down here? Merle' Daryl called, hoping to find his brother. He needed to talk to Merle about apologising to Glenn and about the plan with Michonne. He entered the boiler room and found his brother standing there looking very suspicious.

'Hey, little brother. What the hell? I was just about to holler back at ya' Merle smiled.

'What you doing down here?' Daryl questioned.

'Just looking for a little crystal meth' he laughed. Daryl didn't believe him though. 'Yeah, yeah, I know. Shouldn't mess my life up when everything is going so sweet, right?'

'You talk to Rick yet?' Daryl asked.

'Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm in. But, uh, he ain't got the stomach for it. He's gonna buckle. You know that, right?' Merle asked.

'Yeah. If he does, he does' Daryl agreed. Secretly, he would be pleased if that was the decision Rick made. He still didn't feel right about giving Michonne over and he wasn't sure if Kat would forgive Rick if he made that call.

'You want him to?' Merle squinted at him, seeing the truth behind Daryl's eyes.

'Whatever he says goes' Daryl said diplomatically.

'Man. Do you even possess a pair of balls, little brother? Are they even attached? I mean, if they are, they belong to you? You used to call people like that sheep. If it's not Officer Friendly then it's blondie who has you by the nads. She knows don't she? She's been sticking like glue to Michonne. Or has she just become a rug muncher?' Merle sneered at him.

'She knows' Daryl grumbled.

'She obviously don't agree. You're too scared of losing your only source of pussy if you disagree. You're a sheep. What happened to you?' Merle continued.

'What happened with you and Glenn and Maggie?' Daryl countered.

'I've done worse. You need to grow up. Things are different now. Your people look at me like I'm the devil... grabbing up those lovebirds like that, huh? Now y'all want to do the same damn thing I did- snatch someone up and deliver them to the Governor, just like me. Yeah. People do what they got to do or they die' Merle sneered.

'Can't do things without people anymore, man' Daryl responded.

'Maybe these people need somebody like me around, huh? Do their dirty work. The bad guy. Yeah, maybe that's how it is now, huh? You and me we're the same. So's blondie. She's cut from the same cloth we are. She just didn't have the spine to fight back. At least she doesn't look at me like the devil. How does that hit you?' Merle taunted him.

'I just want my brother back' Daryl said sincerely, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

'Get out of here, man' was Merle's only response, shrugging Daryl off.

*****

Kat and Michonne were packing more bags of ammo and guns when Merle approached them.

'Hey Michonne, could do with your help clearing some walkers out of the tombs. There's a breach that we gotta barricade' Merle said, indicating for her to follow him.

'I'll give you a hand' Kat stood and made to follow them. She gave Merle a suspicious glare. 'I'm sticking with Michonne today. The new girls gotta stick together.'

Merle gave Michonne a pointed look, hoping that Michonne would tell Kat to stay packing the ammo. She just shrugged and gave him a smirk. She was quite amused that Kat was annoying Merle. He had no choice but to lead them both into the tombs.

'So where is it?' Michonne questioned.

'Around the corner. We got to clear some walkers, then get the others down here to barricade it. A breach like this could be an open invitation to the Governor' Merle told her.

'He's not much for subtlety' Michonne said sceptically.

'You want to take your chances?' Merle asked as several walkers came around the corner, drawn by their talking. Kat, Merle and Michonne took out a few. Kat was distracted with taking out a walker before turning around to see Merle hit Michonne over the head. Michonne dropped heavily to floor, unconscious.

'Merle you can't do this!' Kat yelled, rushing to Michonne to check she wasn't injured in the fall.

'I sure as hell can, sweetcheeks. Officer Friendly's orders' he said cheerfully as he picked Michonne up and draped her over his shoulder.

*****

'Governor made Rick an offer. Turn you over and we all give peace a chance. I agree with you. He would have blinked' Merle told Michonne as they walked down the road.

'But not you' Michonne said.

'I'm being straight with you' Merle replied.

'You were straight when you led me into the tombs' Michonne scowled.

'Okay, maybe I wasn't straight' smirked Merle in return.

'You put a bag over my head' she growled at him.

'I got it done. He wouldn't. Keep moving' Merle prodded Michonne.

'Are you planning on walking all the way to the Governor?' Kat interjected. She had been unable to stop Merle from taking Michonne and so had insisted on following him. She was hoping that she could persuade him en route or to at least help Michonne escape. She just didn't want either of them hurt.

'You didn't have to come along with us sweetcheeks. Why don't you turn back now?' Merle smirked. Kat just glared at him in return. 'Rick was a guy that came back for me on that rooftop. Nah. It's all on me. You know? I figure that's why I was back there in the first place. Do the dirty work. May I?' Merle asked as he spotted a walker. He drew Michonne's sword and stalked away from the two of them. 'I'll take that as a yes.'

Kat took advantage of Merle's distraction. She had seen Merle tying Michonne up back in the boiler room with wire that he had stripped from the inside of a telephone wire. However, while Merle was preparing to sneak out of the prison he had left the wire cutters on the side. Kat had snatched them up and shoved them in her jacket pocket, hoping they could be useful for freeing Michonne later. While Merle's back was turned Kat indicated for Michonne to stay silent. Kat quickly cut a few wires, slightly out of sight of Merle. The stiffness of the wire kept it in place but it meant that Michonne could free her hands anytime she wanted. Michonne smiled in thanks as Merle turned back to them.

'Oh! You know what? I'd figured you would have run' Merle smirked.

'Wanted my sword back before I get away' Michonne laughed, now she had the upper hand.

'It may go down that way. But if I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Move' he ordered and they continued their walk towards the governor.

*****

'It's off. We'll take our chances' Rick approached Daryl looking worried.

'I'm not saying it was the wrong call, but this is definitely the right one. What's wrong?' questioned Daryl, glad that Rick had made the right decision in the end.

'I can't find Merle or Michonne… or Kat. They've gone' Rick told him.

'Come on' Daryl called and ran off in the direction he had last seen Merle; the boiler room. 'He was in here. Said he was looking for drugs. Said a lot of things, actually.'

'Like what?' Rick asked.

'Said that you were gonna change your mind. Here we go' Daryl said as he found the bag Merle had put over Michonne's head. 'Yeah, he took her here. They mixed it up.'

'Damn it!' cursed Rick. 'Why did Kat go with them though?'

'She reacted pretty badly when I told her about the plan. She wouldn't be helping Merle' Daryl told him.

'Maybe he took her too when she wouldn't leave Michonne alone' Rick guessed.

'Nah, I don't think he'd hurt her again. They bonded and shit. He actually seems to like her. I reckon she wouldn't leave it alone. She's probably hoping to talk him out of it. But she's following him right to the Governor. It's not safe' Daryl said.

'I'm going after them' Rick decided.

'You can't track for shit' Daryl responded.

'Then the both of us' Rick countered.

'No, just me. I need to get them back. They're my family. I said I'd go and I'll go. Plus they're gonna come back here. You need to be ready. Your family, too' Daryl said before leaving, there would be no changing his mind. Rick firmly noted that Kat was included in Daryl's primary family and the thought made him smile.

*****

'I think we're good' Merle said as they jogged towards some cars.

'Yeah, we're great' Michonne replied sarcastically. Merle wrapped the end of the wire around a pole to supposedly keep Michonne in place and went off to break into and hotwire a car.

'You should go now' Kat whispered to Michonne.

'I'm not going without my sword' she refused. 'Help me take Merle down and we can get back to the prison.'

'I'm not hurting him. That wasn't the plan Michonne' she refused.

'No, that wasn't your plan' she countered. She saw the look on Kat's face and sighed. 'Fine. I'll wait a bit longer but if we get much closer then I'm getting my sword back by force and leaving.' Kat nodded in reply.

Kat decided that if she couldn't get through to Michonne then maybe she could get through to Merle. Merle was draped in the driver's seat of a car hotwiring it.

'Merle, please. You have to reconsider this. Do you think you'll be welcome back at the prison after this? You know Rick wouldn't have gone through with it. Do you think Daryl wants this?' she pleaded with him.

'All I know is that I gotta protect my family. If this is our only shot at peace with the Governor then I'm gonna take it. You don't know what we're up against. We don't have a chance in hell against him' Merle told her honestly.

'Shit' both Kat and Merle swore as Merle inadvertently set off the car alarm, drawing walkers towards them. Kat stayed by Merle's side as he worked as fast as he could to turn the alarm off before it drew more walkers. She took out some of the walkers with her knife as they got closer, Merle still tinkering away. Kat also kept a close eye on Michonne but she seemed to be doing pretty well on her own since she had managed to get the wires off thanks to Kat's cutting of them earlier. Merle finally managed to turn the alarm off and they all jumped into the car and made a swift exit, Kat in the backseat.

'So is this your thing, then? You take out the trash?' Michonne asked Merle.

'Don't be so hard on yourself, darlin'' Merle smirked back.

'The Governor, Rick, anyone who needs their piss bucket emptied and you come a-running. Things are different for your brother' Michonne replied.

'Yeah, they are. Rick says jump and he wants to know how high' Merle said. Kat watched the two banter back and forth and felt like she was watching a tennis match. Although come to think of it, no one played tennis anymore. Maybe this is the closest anyone would come again.

'Mm-mmm. Rick needs him. Respects him. He didn't ask him to do this little job, now, did he?' Michonne smirked.

'No, 'cause he wants it done' Merle scowled.

'You keep telling yourself that. The truth is this could have been your shot. With your skills, a whole new beginning. But you choose to stay on the outside. No one's gonna mourn you, not even Daryl. He's got a new family' Michonne said, indicating Kat over her shoulder.

'That's not true' Kat interjected. Daryl sure as hell would mourn Merle if something happened. Hell, maybe even she would. She was firmly ignored by both of them though.

'You keep trying to get under my skin, I'm gonna cut that tongue out. Your buddy's turning you over 'cause he's trying to save his own ass. You're as much on the outside as I am, girl' Merle responded.

'Maybe. But once the Governor's done with me, at least I won't have to live with myself. You said you killed 16 men since this thing started? You ever kill anyone before?' she asked.

'No' Merle suddenly clammed up.

'And how about before Woodbury? Before you met him? Huh. So he saves your life, cleans you up, fed you a line of bullshit. Why would you kill somebody else for him? You know, we can go back' Michonne tried to salvage the situation.

'Ain't happening' Merle replied.

'Both of us. We can just go back' she tried again.

'I can't go back. Don't you understand that? I can't' Merle suddenly looked very vulnerable.

'Why?' Michonne asked. With that, Merle slammed the breaks on the car and they stopped in the middle of the road.

'You go back with them. Get ready for what's next. I got something I got to do on my own' he said, opening the door and letting her out. He handed her back her sword and even gave her a small smile. Kat climbed from the backseat into the front and sat waiting for Merle. 'You go with her blondie.'

'Not a chance' Kat smirked at him.

'Kat, come on' Michonne urged.

'Get out!' yelled Merle in Kat's face, trying to scare her away.

'No. Whatever you gotta do, lets go do it. We can then both drive safely back to the prison. I'm not about to let you get yourself killed Merle' she told him.

'I gotta do this alone' he told her firmly.

'You're not alone anymore Merle. It's not just Daryl that got a new family. You're stuck with me now too' she smirked at him.

'Ok blondie. Let's go' he gave a resigned sigh. She closed the door, nodding at Michonne in reassurance as Michonne looked very concerned about leaving Kat there. As the door closed Merle put his foot on the gas and they sped off.

*****

A short drive later and they pulled up next to a bar. Merle told her to wait in the car. A few minutes later he re-emerged from the bar with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and walkers on his tail. He clambered back into the car and turned the stereo on full blast, drawing the walkers to them. Kat sat and waited for him to tell her what was going on but the answer never came.

'Want some?' he offered her some of the whiskey.

'No thanks' Kat refused. 'What the hell are we doing Merle?'

'We want to gather as many of these bastards as possible. Rile them up nice and good. In fact, they get riled up by scent don't they?' Merle questioned.

'Yeah…' Kat said slowly. Merle pressed a button and rolled down all of the windows slightly. Not enough for the walkers to gain access to the car but enough that their fingers were reaching in and the scent of rotting flesh became unbearable. 'Ok, now I need the whiskey' said Kat, stealing the bottle and taking a large gulp as Merle laughed.

Merle then began slowly driving away, leading the walkers towards the meeting place with the governor. At this point Kat had caught on to Merle's plan. They were going to have the walkers take out as many men as possible and also use them as a distraction. This is exactly what happened once they reached the meeting spot. Merle told her to roll out of the car and they did so, letting the car roll away, leading the walkers elsewhere.

'Stay close blondie. If you wanna come along you gotta stay close princess' Merle told her. They managed to slip unseen into a barn and watched from the window as the governors men began firing on the walkers gathered around the car. Merle began to fire from the window. Kat wasn't sure how she felt about ambushing these men and so just kept guard for Merle whilst he shot out the window. He managed to take down a few of the Governor's men and the walkers managed to finish off a couple more.

Kat looked out the window and noticed that a couple of the Governor's men had noticed the direction that the shots were coming from. 'Come on Merle we need to get out of here now' she yelled. She took down a stray walker that had found its way into the barn, drawn by the gunfire.

'I haven't got him yet princess. Hold your horses' Merle said, aiming up a shot that a young boy walked in front of at the last minute, taking the bullet for the Governor.

'Merle, please. If we don't leave now we'll die. We're outnumbered' she begged him.

'You go then. I've got to finish this' he yelled back.

'I'm not leaving you to die alone. Please Merle. Please do this, not for me. For Daryl, for your family' she begged.

Merle stopped his shooting and turned to look at her with a strange look on his face that she couldn't place. 'For my family' he said stiffly. Then he surprised the hell out of her by pulling her into a brief hug. The moment didn't last as he released her and grabbed her by the arm and somehow managed to drag her unseen away from the scene.

*****

They were walking back along the road as they had yet to find a car to hotwire. They suddenly saw a lone figure approaching in the distance, quite fast as the person was jogging. No walkers jogged. Merle and Kat both became defensive and tightened their grip on their weapons. However, as the person got closer the features came into focus and they both recognised the person as Daryl.

'Daryl' Kat whispered in delight. As they got closer, Daryl ran straight to her and wrapped her in his arms.

'Thank god you're alright' he sighed. He then released her and became serious. 'What the hell were you both thinking?'

'We managed to take down some of the Governor's men' Kat told him.

'You could have been killed. You shouldn't have taken her with you. You shouldn't have gone at all' Daryl scolded Merle.

'I wanted to go alone. She wouldn't leave me behind. She's family' Merle smiled gently at Kat. Daryl looked between them in shock but gave a smile as he realised the newfound bond between the people he considered his family.


	10. Chapter 9

Kat quickly shoved all of her belongings into a duffel bag. It was amazing that she had somehow accumulated some belongings over the short time that she had been here. Clothes, survival gear, other bits and pieces that had made the prison feel like a home. She was going to defend her home. They were all packing to make sure that the prison looked empty when the Governor arrived, however they had a secret plan of attack.

Kat wandered through the prison. It didn't feel right being so empty. She knew they weren't planning on leaving but it still felt like the Governor had succeeded in driving them out of their home. She went outside and packed her duffel into the back of one of the cars. The car would be driven down into the forest and kept out of site. Hershel, Beth, Carl and Judith would wait down there until it was over.

Daryl came over from where he had been packing arrows near his bike. 'I wish you'd reconsider' he muttered to her. 'You could go down into the forest with the others. They could do with someone to protect them.'

'You know that Beth, Hershel and Carl are all capable of protecting themselves when they're together in a group. They'll be fine. I'm needed more here' she replied. 'I'll be fine Daryl, stop worrying.'

'What if Judith needs you?' Daryl asked. He knew he was hitting on Kat's weak spot. Over the last few days Kat had been spending more time around Judith. She found it comforting to look after the child and it no longer brought back bad memories. She had found herself craving time with the little girl and Beth was all too happy to take a break and let Kat take over. Judith was a fairly calm baby but Rick had teased Kat by saying that she seemed to smile more when Kat was around.

'Judith is fine with Beth. Daryl, please. I am doing this, so just stop' Kat said with finality. She knew he was doing this because he cared but he needed to stop. He sighed and began to bite his thumb.

'Here, put this on' Merle suddenly arrived and slammed some body armour into her chest. 'Take care of yourself princess.' That was all that was said and Merle stalked off to take his place for the ambush. Kat had no time to say anything back before he disappeared.

'I'm not defenceless, I don't need this' she sighed at Daryl. She didn't want any special treatment.

'You're gonna be up on that walkway and it's gonna be dangerous. Glenn and Maggie are wearing the armour too. We only had two pairs but Merle searched the tombs until he found some more' Daryl told her. 'It's gonna keep you safe. If you have to do this, then you do it our way.' Daryl walked away to carry on preparing.

Kat stood in the yard and put the armour on. Daryl watched closely and made sure that it was all on from a distance. He nodded when she was done and retreated to take his place alongside his brother in the tombs. Daryl, Merle, Rick, Michonne and Carol were going to be in the tombs setting off smoke bombs, causing confusion amongst the Governor's men and firing on them. They had placed themselves there as they were in the most danger if anything went wrong. They had very little protection down in the tombs. However, the darkness and smoke bombs would hopefully provide enough cover for them.

Kat made her way to the walkway where she found Glenn and Maggie already in position and both in body armour. Maggie was up on the walkway with her, where as Glenn was off on a smaller raised platform. She had picked up her gun en route. She carried the helmet as the weight and tight fit of the body armour was already weighing her down heavily and she was sweating profusely under the sun. She hoped that the Governor turned up soon, before she passed out from sun stroke.

*****

Glenn sat up straighter when the distant sound of a car could be heard. 'It's go time' he called to the two women. They all pulled their helmets on and retreated back into the cell block, just by the door of the walkway. They needed to stay hidden until later.

Kat flinched as suddenly one of the guard towers exploded. She cowered into the wall behind her more securely.

'You ok?' whispered Maggie next to her. Kat just nodded and tried to focus on the task ahead of her. More gunfire echoed around the yard and ricocheted off the walls. She heard the sound of walkers being taken out. All three of them remained silent and stayed as still as possible. The gunfire ceased and the silence that followed was earie.

The gate was forced open with a crash and then footsteps could be heard in the yard. Through the slightly open door, they could see roughly thirty armed people below them in the yard. They pulled the gate off and fairly quietly for such a large group, made their way into the cell block. Glenn peaked out from behind the door on his platform first and checked that there was no one lingering in the yard. He then nodded back to Kat and Maggie who joined him outside on their walkway. They pressed themselves into the metal plates that had been placed along the walkway and waited.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever while they waited. It was suddenly broken by muffled alarms, gunfire and screaming coming from the tombs. They made sure their weapons were ready to go and prepared for their attack. People suddenly started appearing in the yard and the three of them opened fire on them.

Kat still wasn't comfortable with ambushing these people and so mostly she sent warning shots towards people's feet. She only aimed at those who fired at them, dodging behind the metal plates whenever that happened. She didn't manage to hit anyone but watched as the large group piled into a vehicle and fled as fast as the car would take them. The Governor and what seemed like his main fighters piled into a second car and also drove away.

'We did it?' yelled Maggie to Glenn.

'We did it' Glenn sighed. 'Come on down.'

*****

Kat pulled off her helmet and watched as the others came out of the tomb. She took everyone in and was relieved that everyone was there and no one seemed to be injured. They all joined her, Glenn and Maggie where they were stood by the gates.

'We did it. We drove them out' Rick said.

'We should go after them' Michonne added.

'We should finish it' Daryl agreed.

'It is finished. Didn't you see them hightail it out of here?' asked Maggie.

'They could regroup' Michonne contradicted her.

'We can't take the chance. He's not gonna stop' Glenn agreed.

'They're right. We can't keep living like this' Carol joined in.

'So we take the fight back to Woodbury? We barely made it back last time' Maggie argued.

'I don't care' said Daryl. He just wanted this fight over. The Governor had attacked his family and he wanted revenge.

'Yeah. Let's check on the others' Rick said, not giving away what he thought. Rick gave the signal to the others to signal that it was ok to return. They all headed back into the prison to wait for the car to pull up.

Beth was the first to enter, carrying Judith. Rick greeted his daughter first and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Kat went to greet the child next. She took her from Beth and cradled her in her arms. Judith had a calming effect on Kat and she knew she needed to be as calm as possible for what was coming next.

*****

Everyone had gathered in the yard, preparing to head to Woodbury to hopefully finish this once and for all. Michonne, Rick, Merle and Daryl were packing weapons and ammo. Kat was preparing herself, however no one else seemed to notice that she was preparing to go with them.

'Maybe I should claim my bike back little brother' teased Merle as Daryl prepared the bike for leaving. He clapped him on the shoulder and threw his bag into the backseat of the car. No matter what anyone said, Merle deeply cared for his brother. He knew Daryl had gotten attached to the bike and was happy to let him have it. He wasn't going to be able to drive it very well with one hand anyway.

'Rick, we're staying. We don't know where the Governor is. If he comes back, we'll hold him off' Glenn said.

'Just the four of us? All right' nodded Daryl.

'I appreciate you staying' Rick said.

'Sure' agreed Maggie.

'Five of us' countered Kat.

'No. This is more dangerous than defending the prison. Yer stayin here' Daryl argued.

'I'm not letting you go without me. You need the numbers with Glenn and Maggie staying here. I'm doing this Daryl' Kat said stubbornly. Daryl just tried to stare her down, not sure what he could say to make her change her mind.

'She's right. We need all the help we can get' Rick agreed, nodding at her.

'Fine' snarled Daryl. 'If you're coming with us, you stick by me. I can't be distracted if I'm worried about you getting hurt. You stick by my side, you understand?'

Kat nodded and threw her bag in the backseat next to Merle's. She made to climb into the backseat but was stopped by a hand wrapped around her arm.

'What the hell did I just say?' snarled Daryl. 'You're with me.'

He dragged her over to the bike. Kat gave him a small smile which he returned. Daryl climbed onto the bike and made sure that Kat was secure behind him. Carol and Beth took out a few walkers whilst Glenn and Maggie dragged the damaged gate open. Kat wrapped her arms tightly around Daryl's waist and they left the prison.

*****

'Oh my god' whispered Kat as they approached one of the Governor's vehicles. Something horrible had gone down here. The men and women that had attacked the prison were scattered across the road. Some of them were dead and were being eaten by walkers. Others had turned into walkers themselves.

Daryl got off the bike and took a few of the walkers down with his crossbow, Kat sticking close by him. Michonne attacked others with her katana. Rick, Merle and Kat took down a few others with their knives. Daryl and Kat stood with their backs to the truck when a thud behind them made them both jump.

'She's alive' whispered Kat at the woman who had pressed herself against the window of the truck. She was definitely not a walker.

Rick drew his gun and Daryl opened the truck door and forced the woman out. She came out peacefully with her hands in the air. The others all had their weapons at the ready.

'What happened here?' questioned Rick.

'The Governor. He just went crazy. He killed them all. Oh god, he killed them all' the woman cried.

'Rick, if he went that crazy everyone at Woodbury could be in danger' Kat said.

'Shit this just turned into a rescue mission didn't it?' groaned Merle.

''Fraid so brother' Daryl replied.

*****

It was dark by the time they approached Woodbury. They stopped their vehicles a short distance away and decided to approach on foot. They crept forwards but as they got closer they were fired at. Kat was dragged behind the car by Daryl as they all took cover from the gunfire.

'Tyreese! It's me! Don't ...' Karen stood up with her hands in the air.

'Get down!' Rick yelled and pulled her back behind the car in case they fired at her in mistake.

'Karen! Karen, are you okay?' a man yelled from behind the barricade as the shooting stopped.

'I'm fine!' she replied, springing back up again.

'Where's the Governor?' the man questioned.

'He fired on everyone. He killed them all' she yelled back, getting upset again.

'Why are you with them?' the man asked.

'They saved me' she yelled back.

'We're coming out!' Rick yelled, looking at the others. Daryl shook his head in argument. They could open fire and kill them all if they wanted to. 'We're coming out.' Rick put his weapon away and raised his arms. However, Daryl refused to lower his weapon although he raised it in the air and Merle, well, his was attached to his arm. Daryl kept Kat firmly behind him.

The gates opened in front of them and a man and a woman appeared. Rick seemed to recognise them but Kat was clueless as to who they were.

'What are you doing here?' the man asked.

'We were coming to finish this until we saw what the Governor did' Rick answered honestly.

'He ... he killed them?' the man asked.

'Yeah. Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison. She never made it. She might be here' Rick told them. The man indicated his head to allow the group into Woodbury. Rick, Daryl and Michonne led the way, seemingly knowing where they were going. Kat only vaguely remembered the escape from Woodbury and so nothing looked particularly familiar as they walked through the town.

'Hi, we haven't met. I'm Kat' she introduced herself to the new people.

'Tyreese and this is my sister, Sasha' Tyreese introduced himself with a handshake and a wary but warm smile.

'What did I say?' asked Daryl, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side, glaring at the two new people warily.

'This is Daryl. Ignore him, he's just a bit protective' Kat told them.

'Are you two…?' Tyreese asked, leaving the question open ended.

'No' Kat replied but the glare that Tyreese got from Daryl told him another story.

'So are you two new to Rick's group? We didn't see you before?' Sasha asked, breaking the awkward silence.

'You've met the group?' Daryl asked.

'It was when you were gone with Merle. Kat was there but she was injured. She was kept in the cell block' Rick said gently. 'This is where he had Glenn, Maggie and Kat' Rick told them as they entered a building, focusing the group once more. Sasha and Karen decided to stand guard outside of the building.

'The Governor held people here?' Tyreese asked, looking at Kat with sympathy.

'He did more than hold them' Daryl replied. 'Will you be ok going back in there?' Daryl asked her.

'I'm fine. Besides, this time my interrogator is on my side' Kat smiled over to where Merle was smirking back at her.

'I've got your back princess' Merle replied.

'What the hell is up with you calling her princess?' Daryl questioned.

'I can call my lil' sis whatever the hell I want' Merle replied with a smirk. Daryl just glared in response.

They approached the door to one of the rooms. They all stopped when they noticed the pool of blood leaking from underneath the door. Whatever they were about to find in the room wasn't going to be good.

'Will you open it?' Michonne asked Rick, hating the suspense of waiting outside.

'One, two...' counted Rick and then swung the door open. They found a dead walker, who Daryl and Michonne recognised as Milton, one of the Governor's right hand men.

However, Michonne noticed some feet poking round the edge of the door. 'Andrea!' Michonne cried.

'I tried to stop them' Andrea said.

Michonne felt her forehead, 'You're burning up.' Andrea pulled back her jacket to reveal a horrible looking bite mark. Kat gasped and covered her hand with her mouth. Tyreese, Merle and Kat hung back as the rest of the group gathered closer to Andrea. They didn't really know the woman and felt like they were intruding on a private moment.

'I'll stand guard' Tyreese told Kat quietly and left the room.

'Judith, Carl, the rest of them...' Andrea began.

'Us. The rest of us' Rick corrected her.

'Are they alive?' she asked.

'Yeah, they're alive' Rick told her.

Andrea smiled and looked to Michonne. 'It's good you found them. No one can make it alone now' she said to them all.

Daryl pulled Kat closer to him and gripped her hand tightly. Kat squeezed his hand in response. 'I never could' he told Andrea.

'I just didn't want anyone to die' she said. 'I can do it myself.' Everyone knew exactly what she meant.

'No' replied Michonne, tears streaming down her face for her friend.

'I have to. While I still can. Please? I know how the safety works' she told Rick as he handed over his gun.

'Well, I'm not going anywhere' Michonne said resolutely.

'I tried' Andrea whispered.

'Yeah. You did. You did' Rick reassured her and then stood and left the room, followed by Merle.

Daryl went to follow him, pulling Kat along with his hand still tightly gripped in hers.

'Wait! Kat' Andrea stopped them. 'Look after them for me.'

'I will. I promise' Kat replied softly and then let Daryl pull her out of the room, the door closing with a certain finality behind them. As soon as they were out of the room, Daryl pulled her into his arms and clung to her tightly. Kat had tears running down her face but she knew that Daryl needed the comfort more than she did.

They all waited in horrible silence until it was broken by the echoing gunshot. It was over.

*****

Michonne exited the room a short while later, shaking slightly with emotion. Kat detangled herself from Daryl and embraced Michonne. It was so odd to see these people who were usually so strong, so lost in their grief.

'We should get the people here back to the prison. Woodbury isn't safe anymore if the Governor comes back' Rick said, trying to take charge despite his own grief.

'We need to take Andrea…' began Michonne, still wrapped in Kat's arms.

'We will' Rick reassured her. 'Daryl and Merle can get Andrea ready to be taken back. You and me will work on gathering some transport. Tyreese, Sasha and Karen can get people ready to go back to the prison. Kat I want you to go with them. They'll need all the help they can get and, no offense, but you look the least threatening' Rick instructed them all.

'None taken' Kat responded. 'I doubt they'd take it well if Merle or Daryl showed up at their doors after what happened.'

'You ok with this?' Kat asked Daryl, after all she had promised to stay with him.

'I'll look out for her. No one here will harm her. I promise' Tyreese added.

Daryl looked unsure, he didn't want to leave Kat with this man that they had just met but Rick was right, they needed to get everyone ready as fast as possible. He nodded and left to get on with his designated job.

Sasha and Karen went off separately to get people ready and Kat stayed with Tyreese. It was decided that as there was two of them, they would try to go to the families first that might need help packing their children's things as well as their own. They went door to door and told people what had happened. Some were shocked and disbelieving that their leader would do such a thing. Others didn't seem that shocked. They told everyone to pack essentials and head for the gates where they would be put onto transport.

Rick was right when he said that Kat didn't seem that threatening. She was welcomed into most homes with a smile after she was introduced by Tyreese. Tyreese and Sasha seemed to have made a good impression on everyone in Woodbury in the short time that they were here. Everyone greeted Tyreese with a smile at the door despite the fact that he was knocking on the door in the middle of the night.

'The kids like you' Tyreese commented to Kat. They had just finished helping the last family pack. They had two small girls, the oldest being 6 and the youngest was 4. The four year old girl was still half asleep and was clutching Kat's hand as they walked towards the gate. Kat carried her pink backpack in the other hand.

'I've always liked kids' Kat replied with a smile at the little girl.

They approached the gates and saw that the rest of the group were loading everyone from Woodbury onto a bus that they seemed to have got working again. The girl's mother took the backpack from Kat with a smile of thanks and took the little girl's other hand.

'Come on Kayla, we need to get on the bus now' the woman said.

The little girl refused to let go of Kat's hand though. 'You're coming with us?' Kayla asked quietly.

'I'm going with you but I'm going in a different car. You need to get on the bus but I'll meet you at our home. I promise' Kat knelt down and comforted the small girl.

The little girl finally nodded and allowed her mother to take her onto the bus. They were the last ones to get on and the doors closed behind them.

'Making friends?' asked Merle, smirking at her.

'Looks like we're all gonna have to make some new friends' she replied with a smile. She headed over to Daryl, who was already seated on his bike ready to go. She slipped on to the back of the bike and they led the way back to the prison. This could be a new beginning for them all.


	11. Chapter 10

Kat sat down at one of the tables with her plate of food. She took in all of the people around her. Kayla sat opposite her, munching away, swinging her legs under the table as she couldn't reach the floor. Since Kat had helped her leave Woodbury, the little girl seemed to have attached herself to Kat. She'd follow her around whilst Kat carried out her chores. Sometimes she would ask Kat to read to her and Kat became very attached to her shadow. She would do anything for the little girl who was always smiling.

Dr S. sat next to her. He was a pleasant guy who always had a smile for everyone. His medical knowledge was invaluable as well. Kat had made it her job to get to know as many of the people from Woodbury as possible. When they first arrived there was a large divide between the two groups. The people from Woodbury still didn't really trust the people who had attacked their home with guns, even if the reasoning behind the attack had been explained. They were very wary of Merle in particular. Kat had begun to get to know people to try and bridge this gap and she seemed to be accomplishing it quite well. She had been given a place on the council because of this. She didn't think she was responsible enough for that kind of position but everyone else had disagreed. The people from Woodbury were happy with her and Sasha representing them and their needs.

She was brought out of her thoughts of the council by a hand stroking her back as Tyreese plopped down in the seat next to her. After they had left Woodbury, Kat had gravitated towards Tyreese. He was so friendly and warm. They would sit for hours at a time talking about anything and everything. Over the last few months he had become her best friend. She had Carol around that she could talk to but Carol was increasingly busy. Ty always seemed to find time for her, no matter what. She smiled as Ty struck up a conversation with Kayla about what she had been doing today.

She grinned widely as she thought about her family here. Ty and Merle were like her older brothers and Kayla was like her little sister. Carol was her mother figure. There was just one person she couldn't pin down… Daryl. Nothing had happened between them since their almost kiss. It was infuriating and at times Kat doubted whether anything would move forward between them. She had attempted to hint at her feelings several times but was too nervous to make the first move. Daryl had either been oblivious to her hints or was ignoring them purposefully. Kat sincerely hoped he was just oblivious. After all, he seemed oblivious to the eyes of the women from Woodbury that seemed to follow him everywhere he went.

She watched as he walked over to Carol, people yelling greetings to him as he went. Since he brought in more people and provided food by hunting, he was well liked within the community. He spoke with Carol and Carol wanted to show him the fences since he had just got back from hunting with Merle and hadn't seen the build-up of walkers. Patrick stopped them on the way to thank Daryl for hunting and asked to shake his hand. She chuckled when Daryl licked his fingers before shaking his hand.

'No-one ever offers to thank us, eh princess?' Merle said as he put some dead rabbits down on the table.

'Merle, get those things off the table. We're eating here' Kat told him with a sigh. 'And no-one needs to thank me for hunting. I swear I scare off more animals than I ever help catch.'

'We'll make a hunter out of ya yet' Merle laughed as he took off with the rabbits. Kat had wanted to learn how to hunt and so Merle and Daryl were taking her out with them whenever she didn't have too many chores. She wasn't much good as she was too noisy with her feet but Merle was showing her the traps he uses and Daryl had even shown her how to shoot his crossbow.

Merle was also teaching her how to defend herself better. She had improved in her shooting and he was teaching her better self-defence. She was quite effective with her knife now. She had managed to beat Merle a number of times now, a fact that she loved to rub in his face. He was also teaching her how to fight if she had been disarmed; how to fend off people or walkers long enough for her to escape. She felt much safer now.

*****

Carol and Daryl were walking across the yard when Carol turned back to the eating area. She saw Kat watching Daryl as they left and she looked away, blushing, when she realised that Carol was watching her.

'So what's going on between you and Kat?' asked Carol.

'Nothin'' Daryl replied.

'Nothing?' Carol prodded. 'I thought you were gonna tell her how you feel?'

'I don't know' Daryl shrugged and sighed. 'I was gon' do that. Then the people from Woodbury got here and everything got busy. Next thing I know she's always around other people. We never get a minute to ourselves. Now she's always around Tyreese and if he's not there then Dr S. is always around. She could have whoever she wanted and she's got the choice now. She's too good for me.'

'Or maybe I should bash your heads together and that would help' Carol muttered to herself under her breath. She knew that Kat and Daryl were meant to be together but they were both too shy to make the first move. If they didn't pull their heads out of their asses soon, Carol was tempted to lock them in a cell together until they worked it out.

*****

Daryl was putting his supplies in the back of the pick-up when Kat appeared next to him and threw her own empty bag in the back.

'Whatcha doin' asked Daryl, squinting at her.

'You're short-handed because of people going down to the fences. Washing people's clothes can wait. I volunteered to go on the run' she replied with a smile.

'Fine' he grumbled. Daryl never liked it when Kat went out. She only occasionally went out on runs but she was beginning to come out with him and Merle hunting more often. He didn't like the fact that whenever she went outside the fences she was in danger, they all were. He just wanted to protect her.

'I wasn't asking your permission Daryl' she laughed.

Daryl glared at her. If she was going to be going out then he wanted her close to him, so he could protect her. He was about to ask her to join him on his bike when Tyreese appeared behind her.

'Come on. Stop taunting Daryl' Tyreese said, with a smile in Daryl's direction. Daryl just glared back in response to the arm that Tyreese had wrapped around Kat's shoulders. Tyreese steered her away from Daryl and into the backseat of the car. Daryl felt a sting of jealousy at the close relationship the man had with Kat. He wanted to be able to casually touch her like that and tease her. These things just didn't come as naturally to him.

*****

They came to stop outside the chain link fence surrounding an army camp. Daryl jumped off his bike and Kat, Tyreese, Sasha, Zach, Michonne, Bob and Glenn piled out of the two cars. They entered the camp through a hole in the chain link fence and began to look for anything they might be able to scavenge in the camp and looking for any leftover walkers. Kat found a torch that still worked and threw it in her bag.

She ran into Michonne as she wandered around. 'Makes you wonder what happened here' Kat said.

'Nothing good' Michonne said stoically, talkative as ever. Michonne indicated with her head that they should gather outside the shop entrance. The others were beginning to congregate there. This shop, The Big Spot, was their target. Hopefully it wouldn't have been scavenged too much by the military. They were hoping there would be food and supplies that they could take. Kat had been given the task of getting baby clothes for Judith.

She had been spending lots of time with the little girl. She enjoyed being around the infant so much; it made life seem that much more hopeful. She was growing up so fast though. She was outgrowing all of her clothes and so was in desperate need of some new ones.

'Just give it a second' Daryl said as he elbowed the window to draw out any walkers. Kat and Michonne joined the rest of the group and Kat perched herself on the window ledge next to Daryl.

'Okay, I think I got it' Zach said as he joined the two of them.

'Got what?' Michonne asked.

'I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn' Zach answered.

'He's been trying to guess for, like, six weeks' Daryl smirked. Kat smiled and knew that Zach would never guess. She'd already had this discussion with Daryl. He didn't really have a job before all of this. He had just followed Merle around, occasionally doing the odd bit of labour here and there for money. He was good with mechanics though, Kat had no doubt that he could have become a mechanic. Unfortunately, Merle hadn't been the best influence as a brother. The apocalypse had surprisingly been good for both of the brothers. They now had a purpose and had begun to respect each other more. The apocalypse had done her good as well, she had gotten away from her father. It was odd that things were better after the apocalypse.

'Well, the way you are at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of... surly' Zach started his guess. Kat tried to contain her laugh but failed.

'Whatcha laughin at?' Daryl asked.

'Nothin. Just… surly. It's the perfect word for you' Kat laughed. Daryl elbowed her gently in the arm with a smirk but Kat lost her perch on the window ledge and slipped to the floor. Daryl, Michonne and Zach all laughed at her reaction.

'Big swing here. Homicide cop' Zach finished his guess, causing Michonne to laugh even harder.

'What's so funny?' Daryl asked.

'Nothing. It makes perfect sense' Michonne laughed.

'Actually, the man's right. Undercover' Daryl said with a straight face.

'Come on, really?' Zach asked.

'Yep. I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, you know?' Daryl said. However, he looked down at Kat and winked.

'Dude, come on, really?' Zach asked, before realising that Daryl was joking. 'Okay. I'll just keep guessing, I guess.'

'Yeah, you keep doing that' Daryl answered, not even flinching when the walkers suddenly hit the window behind him.

'We're gonna do this, Detective?' Michonne asked with a smirk.

'Let's do it' Daryl said, offering Kat a hand and pulling her off the ground before heading to the door. They opened the door and picked off the walkers one by one that had accumulated by the entrance, drawn by the noise.

'All right, we go in, stay in formation for the sweep. After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?' Sasha asked.

'Was there ever a time that you weren't the boss of me?' Tyreese joked.

'You had a few years before I was born' she replied. With that, they all headed off into separate sections of the store to look for the items needed.

Kat headed straight to the baby section and found it fully stocked. The military obviously didn't have any need for any of the baby things. She grabbed a load of outfits suitable for Judith's age and shoved them in her bag. She also grabbed a few stuffed animals, she couldn't help but want to make Judith as happy as possible. She wasn't going to have much of a childhood once she grew older.

Once she was done, she headed over to the clothing section. She had promised some of the Woodbury women that she would try and pick up some clothes. She got the list out of her pocket and began picking up the clothing items in the specified sizes.

She stopped when she heard a crash and smashing bottles.

'What happened?' she heard Glenn yell.

'Everyone's all right. We're over in wine and beer' Zach replied. She calmed down and started to head in their direction to see if they needed any help. She was almost at the other group when a walker fell through the ceiling. A roof tile narrowly missed falling on her and she looked up to see the walker dangling from the ceiling by its intestines. Glenn, Michonne and Sasha ran up behind her when they heard the noise.

'Yeah, uh, we should probably go now' said Glenn in shock at the events.

'Bob's still stuck. Get him out of there' Daryl yelled.

All of a sudden walkers began dropping through the ceiling one after the other. Luckily, a few managed to land on their heads and take themselves out as they fell. They were still in serious shit though, they were outnumbered.

Kat found herself in an aisle with Michonne and Sasha. She took down walkers with her gun until she ran out of ammo. She then resorted to her knife and put Merle's self-defence training to good use. The three of them took down walkers efficiently in their area and then ran to find out if the others needed help.

Kat ran and found Daryl stood on some boxes with walkers surrounding him. He could hold his own but she helped him take down the walkers.

'Try to clear the entrance. We need to get out fast. That's coming down' Daryl yelled indicating at the ceiling. Kat looked up to see a helicopter shifting, looking as though it would fall on them at any minute.

She ran forward and began to clear a path to the exit of walkers. Daryl went back to help get Bob out. She managed to clear most of the walkers when she turned at the yelling behind her. She turned to see that Zach had been grabbed by a walker from underneath the fallen shelf that Bob had been under seconds ago. It dragged Zach to the floor and bit down on his neck. Kat turned away, she couldn't bear to watch another of them die.

The helicopter creaked again and began to fall. They all sprinted for the exit.

*****

The group stopped to catch their breath outside the chain link fence of the camp. They waited to see if any walkers were going to come out of the store but it seemed that they were all trapped inside by the helicopter crash.

The group then let Zach's death hit them. Daryl sat on the floor with his head in his hands. Kat wanted to reach out and comfort him but wasn't sure whether she would be welcomed. She hadn't known Zach all that well but she mourned for his life being cut short when he was so young.

'We should get back' Glenn said gently. The group agreed and slowly started heading for the vehicles.

Kat began to head for the car when Daryl stopped her. 'You're with me' he said simply, indicating to the bike. Kat nodded gently and climbed on to the back of the bike.

She placed her arms around his waist and felt his chest shudder with constrained emotion. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and rested her head against his back. She could comfort him silently. Daryl smiled to himself; Kat knew what he needed and she was comforting him without making him look weaker in front of the group. He started the bike and set off home, taking one hand off the handlebar briefly to squeeze Kat's hand in thanks.

*****

Kat lay in bed thinking through the day. She didn't like going on runs. She only ever volunteered if Daryl was going. He made her feel safer. The events of today didn't shake that feeling of safety. Zach's death was no-one's fault. She knew that Bob blamed himself but it wasn't even his fault. The walkers would still have heard them in the building and still would have fallen through the roof.

She sighed and rolled onto her side. She wasn't going to get much sleep dwelling on the events of today. That was something else that she had learned in this new world. You had to move on or the pain would eat you alive. She blocked all her thoughts out and began to drift off to sleep. Then she coughed.


	12. Chapter 11

Kat waved the stuffed elephant in front of Judith, making the infant laugh in delight. She was looking after the little girl while Rick and Carl were out tending to the mini-farm they had going. Beth was off doing some chores on the other side of the room, sweeping down the floor of the prison. Now that so many people were trekking in and out of the yard and field, a lot of dirt was accumulating in the prison and so it needed cleaning every few days.

The happy little bubble that Kat was living in at that moment was burst sharply by the sound of gunfire close by. 'Beth, take Judith and stay in one of the cells' Kat instructed Beth, handing her Judith and checking her belt for her gun and her knife.

'It sounded like it was coming from D block' Beth cuddled Judith closer.

'I'll check it out. Just stay here' Kat yelled as she began to run towards D block.

She entered D block to find utter chaos. She stood still for a moment and tried to take in what was happening. There were walkers about, people she recognised; people who were from Woodbury. Others had been bitten and the rest were running in panic. She grabbed her knife and took out a walker heading in her direction.

She heard a familiar scream and headed in that direction. 'Kayla?' she yelled. Kayla ran into her arms and clung to her, shaking in fear.

'Kayla, I want you to run to C block and find Beth and stay there. I'll come find you after' Kat told her, checking the path to the exit was safe for the little girl. Kayla nodded and ran as fast as she could and Kat watched her exit the cell block in safety.

She was suddenly grabbed by the arm. She spun round, knife at the ready; ready to take out a walker. However, what she saw was even more horrific. It was Colleen, Kayla's mother. She had a bite clearly on her arm.

'Take care of Kayla for me, please' Colleen begged Kat, tears streaming down her face.

'I will, I promise' Kat replied. Colleen nodded and then raised the gun in her hand in the air. Kat had only just noticed the gun and the white-knuckle grip that Colleen had on it. She raised it, hand shaking and pulled the trigger. Kat watched as she took down a walker, the girl she recognised as Lauren, Kayla's older sister. She then placed the gun under her chin and fired.

Kat stood in shock for a moment, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. In one moment, Kayla had lost all of her remaining family. Kat wanted to weep for the family but didn't have time. She snapped out of it as reinforcements burst into the cell in the form of Rick, Carol, Daryl, Glenn, Ty and Sasha. Kat stabbed a walker in the head that had been creeping up behind Dr S. With all of the extra people to help, the threat was contained quickly. It seemed that as soon as they had entered, it was all over.

They all spread out to check that there weren't any walkers lingering in the cells. They also needed to make sure that anyone who had died wasn't about to come back to life. They made sure it was all clear and Kat returned to the bodies of Lauren and Colleen.

She didn't even realise she was crying until Daryl touched her shoulder. 'You ok?' he asked.

'Yeah. I need to tell Kayla' Kat cried. She had no idea how to break it to a four year-old that all of her family was dead.

'We can take care of everything here. You take care of Kayla' Kat nodded and headed out of the cell block without looking back.

*****

Kat sat on her bed in her cell, rocking the weeping little girl backwards and forwards. When Kat had emerged into C block the little girl had clung to her legs and then asked about her mother and sister. Kat had to break it to her gently that they weren't coming back. The little girl had been crying for about an hour now and Kat didn't know anything that could make it better. Slowly, Kayla had exhausted herself by crying and had fallen asleep.

The little girl was still clinging to her tightly. Kat was too warm in the cell though. It was a warm day and with Kayla's added body heat, she was sweating. She pried Kayla's fingers from her clothes and laid her down on her bed. She left her to sleep and went out into the cell block.

'There you are' Carol said. 'We're having a council meeting to discuss what happened.' Kat nodded and followed.

The council was sat around the table: Carol, Daryl, Hershel, Sasha, Glenn and herself. Hershel quickly explained to them that Dr S. thought it was a nasty strain of flu that had killed off a couple of the people in D block. Those people had turned overnight and killed others.

'Patrick was fine yesterday, and he died overnight' Carol said. 'Two people died that quick? We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed.'

'That's everyone in that cell block. That's all of us. Maybe more' Daryl countered.

'We know that this sickness can be lethal. We don't know how easily it spreads. Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?' Hershel asked.

'We can't just wait and see. And there's children. It isn't just the illness. If people die, they become a threat' Carol said.

'We need a place for them to go. They can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up' Hershel replied.

'We can use cell block A' Carol said.

'Death row? I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade' Glenn was sceptical.

'It's clean. That's an upgrade' Daryl said.

'These people are sick. We can't just lock them away and hope they'll get better' Kat said, angry at what was being decided.

'We're not just leaving them down there. Caleb will be treating them as best he can. We might need to think about where we can get medication' Hershel reassured her.

'Think that cell block A will work for Dr. S?' Daryl asked.

'I'll help Caleb get it set up' Hershel nodded. Their meeting was interrupted by the sound of a woman coughing in the hallway.

'You okay?' they heard someone asked.

'Mm-hmm' was the woman's reply. They all went out into the hallway and saw Tyreese and Karen.

'You sure? You don't sound so good' Carol argued.

'We're just taking her back to my cell so she can rest' Tyreese replied.

'Tyreese, I don't think that's a good idea' Hershel began.

'Why? What's going on now?' Karen questioned.

'Kat?' Ty asked her, looking at her for answers.

'There's a bad strain of flu going round' Kat started, not knowing how to break the severity of the illness to her best friend.

'That's how Patrick died' Glenn helped.

'Judith was in that cell block. She's vulnerable. Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away' Hershel explained.

'It killed Patrick?' Karen questioned.

'She's gonna be okay. Now that we know what Patrick died from we can treat it, right?' Tyreese asked, panic rising in his voice. Kat knew he loved Karen.

'Don't panic. We're going to figure this out. But we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. I'll see what we have in the way of medications' Hershel tried to calm them.

'David from the Decatur group, he's been coughing, too' Karen told them.

'I'll get him. There's some empty clean cells in the tombs, right?' Glenn asked.

'Yeah, we'll meet you there' Sasha said, then going over to her brother and Karen and escorting them to the tombs. 'Okay. Come on. Let's get you settled.'

'Have to call another meeting later' Hershel said.

'I'm going to check on Kayla then. Let me know when the meeting is' Kat told them before disappearing back into the cell block.

*****

Kayla was still sleeping when Kat checked on her. She had done some more chores before checking in on the girls once more; she was still sleeping. The emotion had really exhausted her. Kat brushed the wispy brown hair away from her face and tucked the blanket closer around the sleeping girl. She smiled gently and left the cell.

A wave of dizziness hit her suddenly and she coughed a couple of times. It suddenly hit her, the sweating earlier now made sense. She was sick. She stayed still for a moment and came to terms with what this meant. She panicked for a second at the realisation that this could very well kill her. She thought rationally then and realised that she needed to isolate herself.

Maybe she wasn't feeling entirely rational. She thought about how she could very well be dead within the next 24 hours. She looked back into her cell and said a silent farewell to Kayla. She wanted to see Judith before isolating herself as well. She wandered over to where she had last seen Beth, where she had been tending to Michonne's ankle.

She peered into the cell and saw Michonne sat there with Judith; Michonne was crying. She watched as Michonne held Judith awkwardly at first but as she broke down, she cradled the child to her chest. Kat recognised the loss written all over Michonne's face.

'When did you lose your child?' asked Kat quietly from outside the cell, making no move to get closer.

'How did you…?' Michonne began.

'I recognise the pain. It gets easier to be around Judith, the more you are around her. It gets better' Kat assured her.

Michonne looked at Kat in shock. Kat didn't look old enough to have had a child.

'I was young and stupid and got pregnant. My father… well he forced me to give the child up. I don't know what happened to it' Kat told an abbreviated version of her story.

Michonne looked shocked and then sighed, pulling Judith closer to her. 'My son…. Andre. He was with his dad while I went on a supply run. He was high. The walkers came. I shouldn't have left him' she sobbed. 'Will you take her?' Michonne asked, holding Judith out for Kat to take.

Kat moved backwards but the sudden movement brought on another fit of coughs.

'Kat?' asked Michonne, looking concerned.

'I have to go to the tombs. I need to be isolated with the others. I just wanted to see Judith one last time' Kat smiled gently.

'You'll be fine. You'll fight this off. This isn't goodbye' Michonne said adamantly.

'I hope so' Kat replied softly before turning and heading to A block.

*****

Daryl parked up the car and trailer back in the yard after leading the walkers away with the pigs and jumped out. He saw Tyreese sat at one of the tables and went over to talk to him.

'How are Karen and David doing?' Daryl asked.

Tyreese looked up at him and the realisation crossed his mind that Daryl didn't know that Kat was down there now as well. He had no idea how to break it to Daryl. Tyreese was worried sick about Karen. He knew that Daryl loved Kat, even if he wouldn't admit it. He hated that he was about to place Daryl in the same position that he was in.

'Daryl…' Tyreese started but had no idea how to tell him.

'What?' Daryl asked suspiciously.

'Kat got sick too' Tyreese said gently.

'No!' Daryl yelled and ran in the direction of A block.

'Damn it!' Daryl slammed his hand against the bars of the cell once he had found Kat, making her jump in surprise.

'Daryl, you need to stay back. You can't catch this. People need you too much' Kat said.

'People need you too. Has Dr S. seen you? We're gonna get you some medicine and you're gonna get better' Daryl said frantically.

'Daryl, I'll be fine down here. I'm not as bad as David and Karen. My immune system is strong. I was in and out of hospital after what my father did to me. I was exposed to all kinds of crap. The doctors always told me I had a strong immune system. I'll be fine' she tried to reassure him. He looked panicked. She didn't necessarily believe the things she was saying but it seemed to calm Daryl. 'You never know, I might not even have it. I might just have a cough' she tried to joke.

*****

Kat laid in bed that night. She was finding it difficult to sleep as Karen and David seemed to have gotten worse. They were almost constantly coughing now and she worried about them. She definitely wasn't as bad as them. Her cough was only every 15 minutes or so. She rolled over so that she was facing the wall. She desperately wanted to sleep as her body was exhausted by trying to fight off the virus. She heard a creak and was about to sit up to investigate the noise. She felt a split second of sharp pain across the back of her head before she gave in to the blackness.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, just a warning that I don't know much about medicine so some of the things in this chapter may be inaccurate. If you want to help me correct this please let me know, otherwise we'll just call it artistic license.

'They're gone. They're gone!' yelled Tyreese. He had stormed across the field to where Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie and Carol had been burying the bodies from the incident in D block. He was in a fury and had grabbed Rick by the collar and was shaking him.

'Woah! Slow down!' Rick said, getting himself out of Tyreese's group. Everyone else was shocked to see the rage on the normally warm and gentle man's face. 'What do you mean they're gone? Who's gone?'

'Someone killed them' he said, struggling with his emotions. 'In the tombs.'

'Kat!' gasped Daryl and dropped his shovel and took off at a sprint towards the tombs. He'd never forgive himself if she was dead. It was him and Carol who had persuaded the rest of the council to put them in there at all. If she was gone then it was his fault.

He was ahead of everyone else, his adrenalin pushing him to move faster. He threw open the door of the cell and began checking Kat where she was laid on the bed. Daryl checked her and sagged with visible relief when he realised she was breathing and just unconscious. Maybe Tyreese was mistaken, maybe the others were unconscious. Rick, Carol and Tyreese finally caught up and appeared at the cell door.

'She's alive' Daryl said with relief. Carol and Rick smiled back at him, grateful that Kat was alive. He ran his hand over the back of her head but pulled it away when he felt something sticky and wet. 'She's been hit over the head' he told the others and lifted his hand to show them the blood on it. Kat suddenly stirred and began to groan in pain after someone touched her would.

'Oh god, my head' she moaned as she opened her eyes. 'Daryl?'

'Easy there' Daryl tried to steady her as she sat up.

'Someone knocked me out' she said. 'They hit me over the head.'

'Who?' Rick asked.

'I didn't see anyone. I was led facing the wall' Kat said. She winced as Carol had come over and was checking that the head wound wasn't that bad.

'She'll be fine. We just need to get that cleaned up' Carol told them.

'You sure the other two are dead and not just unconscious?' Rick asked Tyreese.

'Yes. I'm sure they're dead' Tyreese snarled in anger. 'They're this way.' Tyreese walked off, not really caring whether the others were following him or not.

Carol and Rick went to follow him but Rick stopped when he noticed Daryl wasn't following. 'Daryl' he prompted. He needed Daryl with him, after all Daryl was a member of the council and he wasn't.

'I'm not leaving her here alone if someone is killing people down here' Daryl replied incredulously.

'Can you walk?' Rick asked Kat.

'I think so' Kat replied.

'She can come with us and then we need to move her to A block. More people are getting sick so we're moving them in there anyway' Rick said. Kat nodded and Daryl supported her as they followed after Tyreese. Kat wanted to protest that Daryl shouldn't be that close to her in case he caught the virus but there was no other way she was going to get to A block; not with the way her head was still spinning.

'You found them like this?' Rick said after the shock had worn off. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Someone had killed Karen and David, dragged them out into the small yard and burned them. Their charred remains were just lying there; it was horrific to look at.

Kat buried her face into Daryl's shoulder to block out the sight. She couldn't believe that someone would do something like this. It was horrific. The sight was making her feel sick. It could so easily have been her. Why had she been spared? Daryl gently rubbed his hand up and down her arm in comfort.

'I came to see Karen... and I saw the blood on the floor. Then I smelled them. Somebody dragged them out here and set them on fire. They killed them and set them on fire! You're a cop. You find out who did this and you bring 'em to me. You understand? You bring 'em to me!' Tyreese yelled. Tyreese seemed to be getting aggressive. Kat started towards the man; he was her best friend, she had to do something to comfort him. Daryl stopped her and pushed her towards Carol; he was worried that Ty was going to get violent.

'We'll find out who…' Daryl began and tried to touch Tyreese to calm him down but he was shrugged off.

'I need to say it again?' Tyreese yelled.

'No. No. I know what you're feeling. I've been there. You saw me there. It's dangerous' Rick tried to calm him down.

'Ty please' Kat begged him weakly to calm down.

At the sound of her voice, Tyreese turned on her. 'Why are you alive? What makes you so special? Karen didn't deserve this. David didn't deserve it. Nobody does' Tyreese continued his shouting. Kat felt a sting of hurt. She knew Ty was upset but her best friend had essentially just asked why she wasn't dead.

'All right, man, let's…' Daryl tried to calm down the situation again.

'Man, I ain't going nowhere till I find out who did this!' Daryl's touch broke Ty and he grabbed Daryl and shoved him against the fence behind them.

'Ty! Stop!' yelled Kat; but she was too weak to actually do anything. Carol and Rick both moved forward to try and help but Daryl stopped them with a wave of his arm.

'We're on the same side, man' Daryl said calmly.

'Hey, look, I know what you're going through. We've all lost someone. We know what you're going through right now, but you've got to calm down' Rick tried again.

'You need to step the hell back!' Tyreese yelled and released Daryl to shove Rick.

'She wouldn't want you being like this' Rick said. Tyreese then threw a punch at Rick, Carol yelling for him to stop.

'That's enough. That's enough' Daryl yelled, grabbing Ty from behind to stop him punching Rick anymore. However, Rick got up and then began beating Ty. Rick was now the one out of control and Daryl had to try and stop him.

Kat felt a wave of dizziness come over her again and slid down the wall. She wasn't sure whether it was from the sickness or a remnant of her being knocked out. She sat on the floor while Daryl managed to stop Rick, Tyreese moaning and crying on the floor; his physical pain now matching the emotional.

*****

Kat had been escorted into A block and given a cell. A lot more people, mostly the people from Woodbury, were piling in. They all seemed to be catching this virus. Whatever it was, it seemed to be highly contagious.

Dr S. came in to check on her. 'Hey Dr S.' she greeted him with a small smile.

'How many times have I asked you to call me Caleb?' he joked. She just laughed in response, the laugh turning into a couple of coughs. He listened to her chest with a stethoscope and then shone a torch in her eyes.

'Your cough isn't that bad. Your dizziness might be due to being hit over the head. Hopefully it will pass. Overall, you're definitely not as bad as some of the other people in here. You have a strong immune system. You've had the symptoms of the virus the longest but they seem to be developing much more slowly. It's a good sign' he said smiling at her.

'I was in and out of hospital as a teen. I was exposed to everything. Got sick a lot at first but my immune system seemed to strengthen up afterwards' Kat replied.

'Yeah that would do it. Drink lots of water if you can. I need to check up on some of the others but I'll be back' he smiled at her. He made to leave the cell but paused in the doorway. 'I never thanked you for saving my life the other day. That walker would have got me if you didn't take it down.'

'You're welcome. Maybe you can repay me by saving my life now' she replied with a smile.

'I'll do my best' he said gently before leaving to check on others.

*****

Daryl sat around the table in another council meeting. Kat and Sasha were notably missing. Michonne had joined them instead.

'It's spread. Everyone who survived the attack in cell block D. Sasha, Caleb, Kat and now others' Hershel told them.

'Oh, Jesus' swore Daryl.

'So what do we do?' asked Carol.

'First things first. Cell block A is isolation. We keep the sick people there like we tried with Karen and David' Hershel began.

'What the hell we gonna do about that?' Daryl asked.

'Ask Rick to look into it' Carol replied. 'Try to make a timeline; who's where when.'

'What I don't understand was why Kat survived?' Glenn said. He caught sight of Daryl glaring at him and continued. 'Not that I'm not glad she's alive.'

'She's not as sick as the others. Her immune systems fighting it or sumthin'. Maybe that's it' Daryl said with a shrug. He didn't really care why she was alive; just that she was.

'Or maybe it was someone close to her. Someone who couldn't bring themselves to kill her' Carol suggested.

'What the hell you saying?' Daryl sneered.

'Maybe it was Merle' Glenn suggested. 'He loves Kat in his own way. Seems like something he would do.'

'Shut up. You don't know my brother. He wouldn't do this' Daryl argued.

'But what are we gonna do to stop this illness?' Carol changed the subject.

'There is no stopping it. You get it, you have to go through it' Hershel said gravely.

'But it just kills you?' Michonne asked.

'No. I don't accept that. They're not gonna die. She's not gonna die' Daryl said adamantly, shaking his head. He wasn't going to allow Kat to die from a cold.

'The illness doesn't. The symptoms do. We need antibiotics' Hershel warned them.

'We've been through every pharmacy nearby. And then some' Daryl said.

'That veterinary college at West Peachtree Tech, that's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same we need' Hershel told them. Daryl felt hope spring up at this realisation.

'That's miles. Too big a risk before. Ain't now. I'm gonna take a group out. Best not waste any more time' Daryl said immediately.

'I'm in' Michonne agreed.

'You haven't been exposed. Daryl has. You get in a car with him...' Hershel started.

'He's already given me fleas' Michonne said and managed to lighten the mood momentarily.

'I can lead the way. I know where everything's kept' Hershel tried to help but caused Daryl to frown.

'When we're out there, it's always the same. Sooner or later we run' Daryl told him. Hershel would have been useful but they couldn't risk his leg slowing them down or getting him killed; he was too important to the group.

'I can draw you a map' Hershel sighed. 'There are other precautions I feel we should take.'

'Like what?' Carol asked.

'There's no telling how long it'll be before Daryl and his group return. Wouldn't it make sense for us to separate the most vulnerable? We can use the administration building. Separate office, separate room' Hershel told them.

'Who is the most vulnerable?' asked Glenn.

'The very young' Hershel replied.

'What about the old?' Glenn hinted, he wanted Hershel kept safe for Maggie. Daryl realised he wasn't needed anymore and left to gather a team.

*****

Kat sat in her cell; she felt useless. More and more people were being put in A block as they caught the sickness. Kat somehow was one of the least sick despite having it the longest at this point. She'd been helping Dr S. as much as possible but he'd sent her to rest for a bit after she got dizzy again.

Sasha appeared around the corner of her cell. 'Ty is at the window. He wants to talk to you' Sasha told her. Sasha looked awful, her skin was pale and she was sweating, her eyes seemed sunken.

'I'll go see him. You need to rest' Kat told her. She knew full well that Sasha wouldn't stop until she collapsed, that was the kind of person Sasha was.

Kat appeared at the window and almost gasped at the sight of Ty's face. Parts of his face had swollen from the punches Rick had thrown; one of his eyes had swollen shut.

'You look awful' Kat greeted him, trying to break the tension.

'Aren't I supposed to be saying that to you?' Ty gave her a small smile back. 'I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry… for what I said. I was angry. I didn't mean that I wished you'd died with them. I just…' he broke off with emotion.

'I know Ty, I know. You're angry and grieving. I wish I could make it better but I can't' Kat said, wanting to reach out and comfort her friend.

'Karen's gone and you and Sasha are in here' Ty shook his head, not knowing how to cope with everything that was happening. 'Daryl's got a group going to the veterinary college to get some medicine. I'm going with them. We'll be back with medicine and everyone will get better.'

'Ty? We're going soon' Daryl appeared in the doorway behind him.

'I've gotta go but I'll be back with medicine. Hang on in there' Ty said and then turned and left Daryl alone with Kat.

'Ty told you?' asked Daryl.

'Yeah. You better hurry back with that medicine' Kat tried to joke.

'Merle will be here if you need anything. Anything bad starts happening, just holler. He's said he'll stay close if possible. No more Karen and David's are gonna happen' Daryl insisted. Kat just nodded in response.

'Daryl, I need to ask… Kayla…' she didn't know how to ask Daryl what she wanted.

'Kayla's fine. She's been isolated with the other kids so hopefully they won't get sick' Daryl replied.

'That's good to know but… will you look after her for me?' Kat asked.

'Well I'm gonna be away but Beth and Maggie are there with them. I'll keep an eye on her when I'm back' Daryl told her, hoping it would reassure her.

'No. I mean, if anything happens to me, will you take care of Kayla for me?' Kat asked gently. She knew the fever was starting to kick in and she wasn't sure whether she'd make it until they brought back the medicine.

'No, damn it!' Daryl slammed his fist against the glass in anger. 'You are not giving up. We'll be back with the medicine and you'll be fine. You'll take care of that little girl yourself. Promise me Kat. Promise me you won't give up.'

'I'll try Daryl. I'll try' she said gently, placing the palm of her hand against where his fist was resting against the glass. In return, he flattened his hand out until they were palm to palm with the glass separating them.

*****

'It'll be fine. Just stay in your cell. A group has gone out to get some medicine and once they're back everyone will get better' Kat was doing the rounds around the cells, trying to comfort the scared people. They needed something to hope for. Hopefully, they could hold on long enough for Daryl's group to get back.

'You should be resting' Hershel told her, coming out of Caleb's cell. Dr S. had now succumbed to the sickness as well. Hershel had entered the cell block and was handing out a concoction he'd made with elderberries; they were a natural flu remedy.

'I'm still not as bad as some of the others. They're scared; they need something to hope for, something to fight for. I can help them' Kat argued.

Hershel didn't look convinced. 'How are you really feeling?' he asked.

'My cough still isn't that frequent… but my fever is getting worse' Kat admitted reluctantly.

'Drink this' Hershel said, handing her a cup of the concoction. 'The fever without the cough might be your immune system trying too hard to fight it off. You need rest. Quite honestly I'm surprised you're not worse than you are.'

'Hershel… I can feel it taking over' Kat said as another wave of dizziness hit her. 'I'm not sure I'll make it until they come back. If I don't… tell Daryl… tell Daryl…' she trailed off as her mind seemed to become foggy. She heard the distant sound of the cup dropping from her hand and Hershel's voice. Once again, she blacked out. This needed to stop happening to her.


	14. Chapter 13

Daryl stalked through the gas station, Bob following behind him. He was pissed that they had lost their car because of the distraction on the radio. No matter how weird it was that they had heard someone on it, it wasn't worth the delay that they now had in finding the medicine. It would be his fault if people died before they got back. They needed to get back fast. Hopefully, there would be a new battery in here for the dead car outside.

'Here we go' Daryl said, lifting a battery off a shelf.

'Hmm, cells look pretty dry' Bob commented as they both peered into the battery after Daryl had lifted the top off with a knife.

'A little distilled water will clear that right up' Daryl replied, just glad that they had what they needed to get back on the road.

He handed the battery to Bob and went back through into the shop area of the gas station. They could pick up a few supplies while they were here. He walked through the aisles, picking up a bottle of water as he went, before he noticed something on the floor.

'That's puke' Daryl stated, his torch light landing on an empty bottle of anti-freeze. 'Those douchebags in the vines took themselves out, holding hands… kumbaya style.'

'They wanted to go out together same as they lived. That makes them douchebags?' asked Bob.

'It does if they could have gotten out' Daryl replied instinctively, everything he knew was about survival. He wasn't the type to go down without a fight.

'Everybody makes it… till they don't. People nowadays are dominoes. What they did, maybe it's about not having to watch them fall' Bob said.

Daryl remained quiet for a moment, taking in what Bob had said. He understood the mentality behind it but he could never do something like that. 'If you love someone enough, you fight for them… to keep them with you… no matter what. It's tough but maybe it's worth the pain in the end.'

Bob seemed shocked that Daryl had said something like that but didn't get chance to reply before Daryl turned his back and walked outside. Daryl wasn't the type to open up easily. Bob smiled to himself; maybe their resident hunter had hidden depths.

*****

Hershel was doing his rounds in the cell block. There wasn't much he could do for people except provide them with a certain amount of comfort. Glenn and Sasha had managed to help get an intubating system into Henry to allow him to continue living but they only had one intubation tube. At least it was one life he had managed to prolong. Glenn was following him around to make sure he had help if needed.

They paused outside Kat's cell. Dr S. was sat with her but he had fallen asleep in the chair at her bedside.

'How do you think she's doing?' asked Glenn. Hershel walked towards the sleeping woman and checked her temperature and her pupils with his torch.

'Her body is fighting so hard against the infection that it's shut the rest of her down. She's been coughing in her sleep and it's getting worse. I don't know how much longer she'll last before she succumbs to this' Hershel paused. He couldn't imagine Kat leaving them. She had brought together every member of the prison. She didn't deserve this. 'Let's hope the others get back soon with that medication. At the moment, she's doing alright on her own. Let's hope it stays that way.'

*****

Daryl and the group were almost home free with their bags full of medication when the walkers found them. They managed to escape out of a window but Bob misjudged the jump and fell, his bag dangling over the edge of the canopy; the walkers below grasping at it, desperate to pull him over with the bag.

'Bob, let it go. Let it go, man' said Michonne, encouraging him to release the bag so that he wasn't pulled over. Daryl, Ty and Michonne were all gripping Bob to stop him from being pulled to his death.

'Just let it go' agreed Tyreese.

'Let go of the bag, man' Daryl said. He knew they needed the medication but it wasn't worth Bob's life. Bob finally managed to wrestle the bag free and it landed on the canopy with the distinct sound of glass. After what Bob had told Daryl about his drinking earlier, Daryl was suspicious. He opened the bag and pulled out a bottle of liquor. 'You got no meds in your bag? Just this? You should have kept walking that day.' Daryl hit him with words that he knew would hurt. He was just so damn angry that Bob risked all of their lives for a bottle.

Daryl was prepared to throw the bottle but was stopped when Bob said 'Don't.' Bob's hand had landed on his gun and Daryl's rage escalated. He risked their lives and was now actively threatening them?

Daryl got up into Bob's face, barely containing his urge to punch the man. He removed his gun and grabbed him by the jacket.

'Just let it go, Daryl. The man's made his choice. Nothing you can do about it. Just gotta let it go' Tyreese said. Daryl released him but his rage was still simmering under the surface.

'I didn't want to hurt nobody. It was just for when it gets quiet' Bob tried to explain, clearly ashamed of himself. Daryl could only think that they had no idea what they were returning to. Sure they had Hershel and Dr S. back at the prison, but if the virus took them out then Bob was their best chance at saving their people.

Daryl thrust the bottle into the man's chest. 'Take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will beat your ass into the ground. You hear me?' He turned and walked away, not able to look at the man anymore.

*****

Hershel entered Kat's cell to check up on her and Dr S. was still sat at her bedside, awake this time, softly stroking Kat's hand.

'Let's have a look at you' Hershel said gently to Caleb but was shrugged away. 'Doctors make the worst patients.'

'Not everyone gets to live. The end stage is a point that no one comes back from or they- or they can't. That's where I am. No, you need to focus on the ones that can make it' Caleb said. 'She can make it.' He indicated to Kat. 'Hershel, please, you have to promise me that you'll make sure she lives. She's got to be one of the ones that survives this. She's so strong and she binds everyone here together. Promise me!'

'Caleb you know I can't promise that. I'll try my best, that's all I can promise' Hershel reassured him. Caleb seemed to accept this and nodded.

'I made some more IVs. If you're not ready to lose one, you're gonna lose them all. It's like turning off a light- it'll happen one after the other. And they don't just die' Caleb said.

'We can hold on' Hershel said. 'Caleb. Caleb' Hershel protested as Caleb stood up from Kat's bedside. Caleb reached down and stroked his hand across Kat's cheek. 'I can't be in here anymore. I can't be around her in case I turn. I need to go back to my cell and you need to lock me in. After what happened in the other cell block, when I came in here, I brought these' Caleb told Hershel, indicating to a case containing a shotgun and ammunition on the floor.

'We're not that bad off' Hershel told him.

'When we are, it'll be too late. You don't understand. You have a chance. This is it after this' Caleb said.

'I'm not giving up on anyone. Not yet' Hershel replied calmly.

'Just make sure everyone's doors are shut' Caleb insisted.

'Caleb...' Hershel wanted to comfort the man.

'Just make sure!' Caleb yelled, before bursting into a fit of coughing.

'Caleb, you've got to let me look at you' Hershel insisted.

'Okay, Hershel. Have a look' Caleb challenged him as Hershel brought the lantern closer and saw the blood dripping from Caleb's mouth and eye.

Hershel managed to get Caleb standing and they headed out of the cell. Caleb stopped in the doorway and took one last look back at Kat.

'I always wanted her to notice me. I never stood a chance did I?' Caleb said softly and managed to stumble back into his cell and closed the door.

Hershel did his rounds, closing the doors of all the cells at Caleb's request. He got back to Kat's cell and looked at the lines of IV's that Caleb had assembled. They would need more than that when the medication arrived, the group should be bringing more back with them. They'd just have to prioritise the worst off getting the IV's first.

Hershel swung his lantern into the room and looked over at Kat. She coughed in her sleep again and he sighed when a tiny trickle of blood leaked from behind her closed eyelid. He sent a silent prayer that the group would be back soon. Kat was running out of time.

*****

Merle sat by Kat's bedside. He had entered A block with Maggie when some of the people in the cell block had turned and got loose from their cells. He heard Hershel enter the cell behind him.

'I should have been told that she was like this. I promised my brother that I'd look out for her. She was unconscious for almost a day and I didn't know 'bout it' Merle snarled angrily.

'What would you have done? She'd still be unconscious and she wouldn't have wanted you in here unless it became necessary. There's nothing you can do. There's nothing any of us can do' Hershel sighed sadly.

'She's like the little sister I never had. I was never a good big brother to Daryl, I thought maybe this was my chance to make it up somehow. I never could protect Daryl and now he don't need no protecting. But I thought I could protect his girl. I can't even do that right' Merle spoke, almost to himself and ran his one hand through this hair.

'You did your best. That's all Daryl can ask. I saw you stood outside on guard all that time. You were there when we needed you and that's what counts' Hershel placed his hand on the man's shoulder. They both looked down at the still unconscious Kat, both lost in their own thoughts. Merle pulled out an old rag and gently wiped away a streak of blood from her cheek.

*****

Michonne pulled the car through the gates that Rick had opened and Daryl sprung out of the car.

'Sasha. How's Sasha and Kat?' Tyreese questioned Rick.

'I don't know. I'm sorry' replied Rick.

Tyreese ran off into the cell block to check on the two most important people in his life, they were the only people keeping him going after Karen. Michonne and Bob followed quickly behind him, carrying the bags full of medication.

'You need some help here?' Daryl asked Rick, indicating to the pile of zombies that Rick and Carl had managed to take down after they had broken down a section of fencing. Daryl really wanted to go in and see Kat but he would stay if he was needed.

His desperation must have shown on his face. 'Nah, you go in and check on her' replied Rick. 'Carl and I can take care of this for now.'

Daryl nodded and ran after the others. He headed into A block and headed straight up the stairs to the group of people he could see. He could see Glenn passed out on the floor and Hershel and Maggie were sat around him.

'Where's Kat?' Daryl asked.

'Down the stairs and on your right. Second cell from the end. Bob and Merle are with her' Hershel replied, continuing to administer the drugs to Glenn.

Daryl swept down the stairs and into the cell. 'She ok?' Daryl asked. The look on his brother's face worried him. Merle looked worried and Merle never worried over anything.

'She's one of the worst. She passed out sometime yesterday. She's been coughing and bleeding' Merle replied.

'I've hooked her up to an IV and the medication should be getting into her system. All we can do is wait and see' Bob replied as he finished up her treatment. 'Let me know if anything changes with her. I need to get these meds to the others.' Bob turned and left the cell.

'Can I have a minute?' Daryl asked. Merle just nodded and gave his brother a gentle pat on the shoulder. Daryl slumped into the seat by her bedside and ran his hands through his hair. She needed to hold on. The meds had to work. He needed her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it as though he could will some of his own life force into her. He didn't know whether he wanted to punch something or actually break down in tears. Instead he leaned his head down and rested it against her hand, trying to feel as close to her as possible. He wasn't a religious man but he was really praying that she would pull through.

He sat there for what felt like an age with his forehead against her hand, when he suddenly felt her squeeze his hand back.

He sat upright quickly and looked up at her. 'Daryl?' she asked quietly, blinking slowly at him.

'Yeah, I'm back. Take it easy. You've been out for 'bout a day. Bob's got you hooked up with all the meds. You're gonna get better. You're gonna be fine' Daryl smiled genuinely. Kat smiled back, the smile seemed to light up Daryl's face.

'Well lookie here. Good morning, sleeping beauty' Merle said from the cell door.

'Shut up asshole and go get Bob' Daryl said.

'Play nice with your brother Daryl' Kat teased.

'Glad you're awake princess. Don't scare me like that again, huh?' Merle said sincerely.

'Thanks Merle. I'll try not to' Kat smiled back at him. Merle returned shortly with Bob in tow.

Bob began to check Kat over to see how her symptoms were doing when Ty entered the cell. 'Good to see you're ok' Ty smiled gently at Kat.

'Just about' Kat replied. 'How do I look doc?' she teased Bob.

'You're body fought hard against the virus. You're lucky you had such a strong immune system. You're responding to the antibiotics quite quickly but you're gonna be weak for a while. Try not to push yourself. Rest as much as possible' Bob told her.

'Merle, Daryl, we could do with a hand out on the fences. We need to burn those walkers' Ty said. Merle began to head out but Daryl looked reluctant to leave Kat.

'Go. I've seen everyone else. I can stay with Kat for a while. I need to be in here in case anyone else needs anything' Bob told him. Daryl still looked hesitant to leave Kat's life in his hands after everything that had happened out on the run.

'Daryl I'll be fine. They need you. Go' Kat told him.

'Trust me' pleaded Bob. Daryl nodded slowly, giving Bob a glare that told him that if he messed up then he was dead. He squeezed Kat's hand one last time and left.

*****

After they had cleared away many of the walkers Rick had just broken the news about Carol to Daryl and Daryl was pacing back and forth across the floor.

'Man, you couldn't have waited till we got back?' Daryl asked.

'Until Tyreese got back?' Rick pointed out.

'I could've handled that' Daryl replied. He couldn't believe that his friend had been forced out of the prison while he wasn't there.

'Hey. Hey. She killed two of our own. She knocked Kat out. She couldn't be here. She's gonna be all right. She has a car, supplies, weapons. She's a survivor' Rick tried to calm Daryl down.

'Stop saying that like you don't believe it' Daryl snapped back.

'She did it. She said it was for us. That's how it was in her head. She wasn't sorry' Rick told him.

'Man, that's her, but that ain't her. Why didn't she kill Kat?' Daryl asked.

'She couldn't bring herself to do it. She loves Kat like a daughter and she would have hurt you doing it too. Kat wasn't as sick as the others' Rick said.

'That. That's the Carol we know' Daryl replied, trying to point out Carol's mercy. But it was too late anyway, she was gone and they probably wouldn't find her even if they looked. 'What are we supposed to do about those two girls?' he sighed.

'I told her we'd look after them. Maybe Kat can…' Rick began.

'Kat already looks after two kids. She looks after Kayla and Judith. She's barely been conscious two minutes. Don't you dare put this on her' Daryl snapped. Rick just nodded and fell quiet.

'I haven't told Tyreese yet. I don't know how he's gonna take it' Rick sighed.

'I'm gonna check on Kat and then we'll go find out' Daryl responded.

*****

Kat struggled to pull herself up into a sitting position. She felt much better after the meds had kicked in. She was still weak but she was slowly regaining her strength. She would go stir crazy if she had to just sit in a cell alone all day though.

'Where you goin'?' asked Daryl, appearing in the cell door.

'Nowhere now' she replied, smiling up at him. He smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. 'What's wrong?'

'Carol. She killed Karen and David and knocked you out. Rick found out. He took her out for a run and left her out there. He says she shouldn't be around here, around Tyreese' Daryl explained, sitting down beside her on the bed.

Kat sat in silence for a moment trying to digest everything she had just been told. 'I don't know what to think. I mean, she killed two people. She hurt you. But…' Daryl trailed off.

'But it's Carol. She's your friend. I don't remember my mother ever being around. Carol is the closest thing I have. She didn't hurt me too badly. I truly believe she was doing what she thought was best' Kat said.

Daryl just nodded in agreement, so thankful that Kat seemed to know exactly how he felt. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. He eventually released her and sighed. 'Me and Rick are gonna go tell Tyreese'.

'Take it easy on him. He's had a hard time. Don't blame him for Rick's decision' Kat warned him. Daryl nodded and left.

Since she was alone again, she wasn't going to be staying in this cell. She pulled herself onto her feet and wobbled slightly. She moved slowly out of her cell and up the stairs, clinging to railing and cells on her way, keeping herself upright. She eventually arrived at Glenn's cell, where he was led on the floor but looking much better than the last time she had seen him.

'How's it going?' she asked and slid down the wall so she was sat facing him.

'Good. I feel like I'm on vacation' Glenn joked and laughed and Kat joined in as well.

'I'm glad you're ok' Kat smiled at him.

'You too. Maggie said…' Glenn began but was cut off by a loud bang that shook the building. 'What the hell was that?' Glenn asked.

'I'll go find out' Kat said, rising to her feet.

'I'll come with you' Glenn struggled to sit up.

'You're too weak' Kat told him, pushing him back to lie down.

'You're not strong enough yet either' Glenn countered.

'I'm just gonna go see what's happened and then I'll be straight back. I'll be fine' Kat left the cell and began jogging as fast as her weak body would let her. 'Wait here' she called back to Glenn, not convinced that he wouldn't try to follow her.

Kat ran out into the yard and joined the group by the fence, looking down at a group of people outside their fences. 'What the hell is happening? Is that a tank?' she asked.

'What are you doing out here?' Daryl growled at her and then sighed. 'The governor's back. He wants to talk to Rick. He's got Hershel and Michonne hostage. I need you to go back inside…' Daryl began. Kat attempted to cut him off but he continued. 'I need you to tell everyone to get ready to head to the bus. If things go south, we need everyone ready to go. Please do this for me.' Kat nodded. She leaned forward quickly and gave Daryl a kiss on the cheek before jogging back into the cell block.

*****

Kat had warned everyone she could find and everyone was spreading the message and packing emergency bags. She had returned to Glenn and told him what was happening. She was heading back outside to help. Glenn had tried to stop her but he was too weak to actually physically restrain her. She could now hear bullets flying outside so she grabbed a gun on her way out. Things weren't going well and she was going to fight alongside her family.

Kat ran out into the daylight and joined Daryl and Merle who were firing their weapons, side by side. 'What are you doing out here? It's too dangerous and you're too weak. Get back inside' Daryl yelled at her. They all flinched when the tank began firing at the buildings behind them. The tank had mown through the outer fences and was making its way closer.

'You need the numbers and I'm strong enough to fire a gun. I can do this' she replied, taking out one of the Governor's men.

'Stick by me and Merle and if it gets worse, get on the bus' Daryl yelled. They fired for a while but the Governor's men still managed to get closer and closer. One of the men managed to get to the side of them and fired at them. Daryl dived to the left and sheltered behind a filing cabinet. Merle and Kat dived right and ended up behind a lunch table. Kat rested her back against the table, panting. Daryl was right, she was too weak for this.

'Merle get her out of here. I'll catch up' Daryl yelled, noticing Kat's state.

'Come on' Merle grabbed her around the waist with his good arm and tried to drag her towards the bus.

'No. I need to make sure Glenn got out' she pulled on his arm until he gave in. If he had two functional hands he wouldn't have hesitated to throw her over his shoulder and drag her to the bus but he didn't, and he needed his other hand to carry the gun.

They headed into the cell block, unaware of the tank approaching the building behind them. Merle glanced back momentarily in the doorway and luckily had enough time to see the tank and tackle Kat to the ground and cover her with his body as the wall behind them exploded.

'No! Merle! Kat!' they heard a scream and crying from someone that sounded like Beth from behind them.

'This way' Merle grabbed Kat and dragged her further into the building, taking in the damage behind them. They would have been dead had Merle not seen the blast at the last second. The building shook again as it took another hit from the tank. 'It's not safe in here, we gotta get out. Glenn's a big boy. He'll have got himself out.' Kat could only nod in agreement as dust fell from the ceiling. They began to make their way towards an exit when Kat stopped as she heard a familiar scream.

'Kayla!' she yelled and began to limp in the direction of the scream. Walkers had been attracted by the gunfire and had come up through the broken fences. Kat burst out into the yard to see a walker had managed to corner Kayla but Merle sprinted forward and took the walker out with his knife.

'We gotta get to the bus' Kat yelled and they all moved as fast as possible. They weren't fast enough. The bus had gone without them.

'Come on. We gotta go' Merle said, pulling Kat in the direction of the forest.

'We gotta wait for Daryl' Kat yelled, trying to resist being dragged off by Merle.

'He'll catch up. He can find us. We can't stay here. He might already have gone' Merle persuaded her. Kat nodded limply, grabbed Kayla by the hand and followed Merle over the broken fences and into the forest. She took once last look over her shoulder to see the place they had called home in flames.


	15. Chapter 14

'We need to keep moving. We need to find Daryl' Kat tried to persuade Merle. Merle was sat eating a bag of chips that he had found on his most recent scavenging trip. They had travelled a fair distance from the prison and then Merle had insisted that they stop in a house they found.

'You need your rest. You're not better yet' Merle argued back. He had noticed that Kat had been struggling as they made their way away from the prison. She had regained some of her strength by staying in the house resting for a couple of days but Merle wasn't happy to let her leave just yet. 'Daryl is a great tracker. He'll find us.' Merle insisted confidently.

'Even better than you?' Kat teased.

'I wouldn't say that' Merle smirked back.

'One more day Merle. We'll stay here one more day and then we're going' Kat said decisively, leaving no room for argument.

*****

Daryl and Beth had just run for a while, putting some distance between them and the prison. They took down some walkers and continued running. They eventually stopped and flopped down in a patch of grass, catching their breath.

Daryl sat up and immediately thought of how he was going to find Kat and his brother. 'Did you see anyone before we left? See which direction people left in?' Daryl asked, hoping that Beth could give them a direction to start their search.

'I… I saw…' Beth stuttered and hesitated. She had no idea how to break what she saw to Daryl.

'Well spit it out' Daryl said impatiently.

'I'm so sorry. I saw… Kat and Merle. They were going back into the prison. The tank… it fired at them. The wall collapsed on them' Beth broke off.

Daryl sat, his fists clenched tightly. He wanted to believe that his brother and Kat were alive but if what Beth said was true then there was little chance of them surviving that. It felt like the bottom had just fallen out of his world. He had just lost the two most important people to him in one fell swoop. They were gone and so was Carol. The group was scattered to the winds. Who could hold him together?

He forced himself to numb his feelings. It was the only way he was able to continue. He stood without a word and walked away. They needed to put some more distance between them and the remainder of the Governor's forces. They continued walking until it became too dark. Daryl stopped and began to make a campfire.

'We should do something' Beth began quietly, looking at how listless Daryl had become since she told him about Kat and Merle. 'We should do something. We aren't the only survivors. We can't be. Rick, Michonne, they could be out here. Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of A block. They could've. You're a tracker. You can track. Come on. The sun will be up soon. If we head out now, we can… Fine. If you won't track, I will.' She grabbed her knife from the ground and began walking, knowing that he would follow her.

Daryl sat for a moment, watching Beth disappear into the trees. He didn't dislike Beth… she just wasn't Kat. If he had stayed closer to Kat during the fight then maybe she wouldn't be dead now. He couldn't keep the woman he loved alive. He knew she would want him to keep Beth alive though. He could do this for Kat. He sighed and put the fire out, grabbed his crossbow and followed Beth into the woods.

*****

Kat was up early the next day. She found a backpack stashed in the house and filled it with anything that might be useful on the journey. Some spare clothes, a bottle of water, any food that they had scavenged from the local area. She woke Kayla up and got her ready; the noise they were making woke Merle up. This had been Kat's plan as she didn't dare wake Merle up. He was likely to lash out if woken unnaturally.

'We're ready to go' Kat told him gently. Merle just nodded slowly, still not completely on board with them leaving the safety of the house yet. He disappeared into the bathroom but was ready to leave soon after.

They walked through the forest for a while, slowly for Kayla's benefit. They only encountered a few walkers, which was lucky. Merle seemed to lag behind every so often and Kat turned around to watch him.

'What are you doing?' Kat asked.

'Daryl's a good hunter but why make things difficult for him. I'm leaving tracking signals. Footprints every so often, broken branches. He'll pick up on them but they're not obvious enough for just anyone to follow us' Merle explained. Kat smiled, she hadn't thought about doing anything like that.

'I'm tired' Kayla complained. It was tough for the little girl to trek through the woods.

'I know sweetie, but we've got to keep going. We'll stop for the night soon' Kat tried to reassure her. The little girl nodded with a serious look on her face. Kat hated that this little girl actually understood the danger they were in and was forced to face it. She should be protected from all this and should be somewhere playing with toys or other children, not fighting for survival. She was such a brave child and this made Kat even more protective of her.

They continued walking until they reached some railway lines. 'We should keep walkin' down here. Easier for the littlun' Merle said. Kat nodded in agreement and they continued walking until they came across a sign.

''Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive.' We should go here. Anyone who survived the prison might end up there. It's worth a shot' Kat said. 'You were right. Maybe we shouldn't have left that house. Kayla can't keep walking around out here.'

'What if our people aren't there?' Merle asked.

'Then maybe we can use it as a base. Launch search parties out for people. Kayla needs somewhere safe' Kat said. She looked down at the small child who looked dead on her feet. They hadn't come across anywhere safe they could stay near the train tracks yet. Kayla needed somewhere to sleep.

'Here' said Merle, pressing the gun into Kat's hand. He then gently swept the little girl into his one good arm. She clung to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and falling asleep almost immediately. 'Let's go.'

*****

Daryl let his rage consume him. For the past few days, Daryl felt like one of the walkers. He was just going through the motions. He hunted and he led or sometimes followed Beth around. He would get Beth somewhere safe, then… he didn't know what he would do. For now he just had to keep Beth alive. However, she had forced him to let his numbness slip. She had convinced him into a drinking game. And the things she was assuming about him… she didn't know him. Only Kat knew the real him. That thought just made the pain and rage flare up again.

'Hey, you never shot a crossbow before? I'm gonna teach you right now. Come on. It's gonna be fun' he yelled. He was pissed and wanted to scare her but at the same time it would be useful for her to know in case anything happened to him.

'We should stay inside. Daryl, cut it out! Daryl!' Beth yelled at him as he dragged her out of the run down house by her arm.

'Dumbass. Come here, dumbass' he called to the walker that had been lurking outside. He fired an arrow so that the walker was still alive but pinned to a tree. 'You want to shoot?'

'I don't know how' Beth said, she didn't want to be out here. Daryl was acting crazy and he was scaring her.

'Oh, it's easy. Come here. Right corner' he pulled Beth in front of him, forcing the crossbow into her hands and firing it.

'Let's practice later' Beth tried to convince him to stop.

'Come on, it's fun' said Daryl without a trace of humour.

'Just stop it. Daryl!' she yelled at him as he reloaded the crossbow.

'Come here. Eight ball' Daryl said, pulling Beth in front of him again and firing at the walker.

'Just kill it!' Beth screamed at him.

'Come here, Greene. Let's pull these out. Get a little more target practice' Daryl continued, approaching the walker to get his arrows back. Beth stormed over and stabbed the walker in the forehead with her knife. 'What the hell you do that for? I was having fun.'

'No, you were being a jackass. If anyone found my dad…' Beth yelled.

'Don't. That ain't remotely the same' he replied.

'Killing them is not supposed to be fun' Beth shouted.

'What do you want from me, girl, huh?' Daryl asked, he was barely keeping himself together.

'I want to you stop acting like you don't give a crap about anything. Like nothing we went through matters. Like none of the people we lost meant anything to you. It's bullshit!' she yelled, beginning to cry.

Daryl took a moment to take that in. She thought he didn't care? It was the opposite. He cared too much. He had to shut off his emotions or else he would just crumble. He would lose the will to continue. 'Is that what you think?'

'That's what I know' she replied.

'You don't know nothing' he spat at her.

'I know you look at me and you just see another dead girl. I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I'm not Kat' Beth yelled.

'Don't you dare! Don't you dare talk about her like that' Daryl yelled. He didn't want to hear her talk about Kat being gone.

'You look at me and you just wish it was her. But I've survived and you don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them. But I made it and you don't get to treat me like crap just because you're afraid' she told him.

'I ain't afraid of nothing' he spat at her.

'I remember. When that little girl came out of the barn after my mom. You were like me. And now God forbid you ever let anybody get too close' she said, knowing her words would hit him hard.

'Too close, huh? I had Merle and I had Kat. And look what happened to them! You lost two boyfriends, you can't even shed a tear. Your whole family's gone, all you can do is just go out looking for hooch like some dumb college bitch' he tried to hit her back with his words.

'Screw you. You don't get it' she said.

'No, you don't get it! Everyone we know is dead!' he basically screamed at her.

'You don't know that!' she replied.

'Might as well be, 'cause you ain't never gonna see 'em again. Rick. You ain't never gonna see Maggie again' he spat.

'Daryl, just stop' she yelled. He turned to face away from her. He could feel his tight control over his emotions slip. He was beginning to feel all of the pain. He was going to break down.

'No! The Governor rolled right up to our gates. Maybe if I wouldn't have stopped looking. Maybe 'cause I gave up. That's on me' he said, more softly now.

'Daryl' Beth began to try to comfort him. It wasn't his fault.

'No… And your dad. And Merle and Kat. God, Kat. Maybe…maybe I could have done something' he broke down at this. He couldn't keep it all in. He began to cry and Beth hugged him from behind, his back still to her. From this position he could imagine that it was Kat. She was still with him and was holding him tight. He could imagine, just for a moment, that everything was still ok.

*****

Kat, Merle and Kayla had continued down the tracks for a while. The going was slow with the little girl with them and Merle often had to carry her when she got tired. Merle stopped them when they came across some cars parked near the tracks, where a road intersected the railway.

'If one of those still has gas we could just drive down the tracks to this place' Merle smirked. Kat knew that if anyone could get one of those cars going, it would be one of the Dixon boys. There were two cars that had been abandoned, one that looked empty and one that had a family of walkers trapped inside.

They approached the empty car first and checked it over. Merle tried to turn the engine over but they had no luck. 'No gas' Merle sighed. 'We might be able to siphon some out of the other car. It might be worth tryin' to scavenge some parts from the other car too. People might not have gone near it with the walkers inside. We'd need to get them out first though.'

Kat knew that it would take both of them to take the family of walkers down. 'I need you to stay here and wait while we take care of these walkers. Don't move from near the car' Kat told Kayla and the little girl nodded in response.

Kat and Merle headed over to the car. Kat pulled the back door of the car open and stabbed the first walker in the forehead whilst Merle tackled the walkers in the front seats. Kat was distracted by Kayla's scream and looked over to see a walker with no legs appear from under the car that Kayla was standing by. It gripped the little girl by the ankles and pulled her to the ground. Kat's distraction gave the other walker in the back seat a chance to surprise her. It leapt at her and she fell backwards onto the ground, the walker gnashing it's teeth at her from on top of her. She managed to keep the biting jaw at bay and push it far enough back that she could stab it through the head.

She immediately shoved the body away from her and rushed over to Kayla. Merle had reached the little girl first and disposed of the walker but Kat collapsed onto her knees at the little girl's side at the sight of what had happened. The walker had bitten her ankle and then pulled her closer and taken a chunk out of her neck. Kayla was clinging to life but was bleeding out fast, her screams had decreased to whimpers.

Kat cradled the little girl on her lap, trying to hold in her hysterical sobs. 'It hurts' Kayla whimpered.

'I know baby, I know. It's gonna be ok. The pain will stop soon I promise. You'll get to see your momma and your sister again. It's gonna be fine' Kat cried gently, trying to sooth the little girl's pain. She stroked Kayla's hair and rocked her back and forth gently in her arms.

'Gonna see Momma?' Kayla struggled to ask.

'Yeah. She'll be so happy to see you again' Kat smiled. Kayla's face lit up for a moment in a beautiful smile before the light seemed to fade from her eyes and she stopped clinging to life. Kat cuddled her to her chest, continuing rocking her back and forth and let out her emotions. Her sobs tore from her throat in a desperate scream.

Merle allowed her to cry for a few minutes before putting his hand on her shoulder. 'I need to make sure she doesn't come back, princess. You don't wanna watch this' he said gently. He pulled Kayla's lifeless body from Kat's arms and carried Kayla into the tree line, just out of sight of Kat. Kat continued to sob until Merle returned, scooping Kat into his lap, arm's wrapping tight around her. He rocked her back and forth like Kat had just done for Kayla.

Kat cried until she couldn't anymore. Thoughts were swirling through her mind. It was all her fault. She should have checked the car properly. She had been so desperate to get on the move that she hadn't checked it properly. If not for her then Kayla would still be alive.

Merle looked down at Kat in worry. He knew how much Kayla had meant to Kat. Hell, even he had got attached to the little pipsqueak while they were travelling. He had shed a few tears of his own whilst comforting Kat. Kat had gone still in his arms; all joy and life seemed to have left her eyes. He worried that the Kat he knew had died alongside Kayla.

*****

Merle had managed to dig a shallow makeshift grave for Kayla. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving the girl's body out in the open. It had taken him a while considering he didn't have a shovel. Kat had just stood there, not moving unless guided by Merle. He was very concerned about her, she seemed to have completely shut down in shock.

They continued walking down the railway tracks not saying a word. Merle couldn't bring himself to fix up the car that Kayla had died beside. He found the silence eerie and found himself wishing for the Kat that sobbed in his arms, rather than this numb woman.

They came across another car by the side of the tracks. Merle looked under the hood and tried the engine. 'Dead' he sighed. 'But we can stay here for the night. Gives us some shelter.' Kat didn't reply or even indicate that she had heard him and he sighed again.

They settled in the back of the car and ate the last of their supplies from the house, Kat only eating when forced by Merle. Hopefully they would come across somewhere they could find more supplies soon. 'Stay here. I need to piss' Merle said before heading into the woods a little ways.

He had finished his business when he was heading back to the car. The silence was broken by the sound of voices. There was a group of people approaching the car. There was no way he could get back to the car without being seen so he stayed hidden in the trees. He glanced worriedly at the car but it seemed like Kat must have heard the voices as well; he couldn't see her in the car so he assumed she had hidden somewhere.

He watched them approaching; six men, heavily armed. No way he could take them down in a fight and Kat wasn't in good enough shape to be much help. They noticed the car and began to head over.

'If there's any candy in there, it's claimed' taunted one of the men.

'You can't claim something if you don't know whether it's there or not' another man protested.

'Not what the rules say. I just need to say claimed and it's mine. Them's the rules' the first man replied.

'Well I don't know about candy but we've got us some eye candy' one of the men said, dragging Kat out of the car. Merle cursed, he thought she had managed to hide somewhere else but apparently she had just hidden out of sight in the foot-well. Damn it.

'Hmmm, she's a pretty one' one of the men smiled at her, pulling her against his body as Kat struggled to get free from his group.

'Claimed!' Merle yelled as he burst out of the trees. They could very easily just kill him but this seemed to be the only way of potentially saving Kat. Suddenly every weapon in the group was pointed at him. He just stood there calmly and raised his arms in the air, trying to show he meant no harm. 'She's mine. You let her go.'

'Rules don't work like that. You're not one of us' one of the men said, reluctant to let Kat go.

'Now hold on a minute' a man said. He walked forward from where he had been standing silently at the back. 'Let's not be rude.' The other men seemed to relax slightly, this man was clearly their leader. The man looked Merle up and down and smirked. 'I'm Joe and this here's my group of survivors. It's been a while since they've seen a woman you understand. How did you come across her?'

'She was with another group. I killed her group and took her' Merle lied. 'She put up a fight but I've got her pretty well trained at this point.' Merle lied because he knew these kinds of men. These were the kinds of men that worked for the Governor. They responded well to violence. They were more likely to keep him alive if they thought he was like them. He had been like them but he had changed. Still, he could feel that old persona waiting just under the surface waiting to escape.

'How did you lose your hand….?' Joe trailed off, waiting for a name.

'Merle. And some asshole cop handcuffed me to a roof and left me to die up there. I cut off the hand and escaped' Merle smirked, not having to lie that time.

'You're a tough man. We could do with someone like you in our group' Joe smiled at him.

'I don't take kindly to sharin' Merle stated, looking pointedly at Kat.

'Release her. She's claimed. Welcome aboard Merle.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about Kayla. I teared up when writing this. I just couldn't keep her alive with what I have planned coming up.


	16. Chapter 15

'So where we headin'?' Merle asked Joe as they walked down the train tracks.

'We were staying in a house a ways back. A man killed one of our own, Lou, and left him to turn. We tracked him to the railway tracks. We came across one of those signs for the sanctuary and figure he's heading there' Joe replied.

Merle nodded and fell silent. They were all heading in the same direction anyway, travelling in a group was probably safer for them as long as he could keep Kat out of harms way. He turned back and looked at her. Kat trudged along, the light had completely left her eyes. It was completely believable that Merle had kidnapped her; she looked dead inside. Len and Tony were walking behind her and leering at her. Merle glared at the pointedly but they only smirked in return. They wouldn't touch her for now because of the claim but it wouldn't stop them looking. He needed to talk to Kat and explain the plan soon.

'Up ahead, those houses look like a good place for the night' Joe told the men. They all went forward and cleared one of the houses and scouted out the others, making sure there weren't any unexpected surprises waiting for them.

'If you don't mind I think I'm gonna take my girl into the woods and have me a good time' Merle smirked, taking the chance to get Kat alone so they could talk away from the others.

'Why not here? We could all use a good show' Len smirked, taunting Merle.

'Told ya. I don't share. That includes watchin'. Besides, never liked doing it inside. Ain't natural. Always best outdoors' Merle lied. He just needed Kat alone.

'Ok. That's fine. We'll set up here and then once you're back we'll send out some scouts into the area. Make sure that guy isn't holed up around here somewhere and see if we can score some more food. Don't take too long' Joe laughed and headed off further into the house.

Merle turned and gripped Kat tightly by the upper arm. He dragged her out into the woods. He cursed internally when he heard someone following them. He should have known that they wouldn't trust them to go off alone into the woods. He turned slightly and caught the sight of Len following them out of the corner of his eye.

He pushed Kat roughly against a tree. She looked into his eyes shocked and stayed perfectly still for a moment, unsure of what was happening. He then pushed his body against her, wanting to get close enough that he could talk to her without Len overhearing. Kat's dead eyes filled with panic, she began hitting at him.

Merle's shock put him at a disadvantage for a moment until he managed to push her back into the tree, pinning her arms above her head. Kat had begun to cry, she was so confused by everything occurring around her, it was overwhelming.

'Shhh, shhh princess. I'm not gonna do anything' Merle reassured her, whispering in her ear. Kat went still for a moment and looked up at him with hope. She was relieved that being around these men hadn't corrupted him. 'You need to keep pretending to struggle. There's someone watching us.'

Kat nodded and pretended to struggle, while Merle continued to restrain her against the tree. To anyone around it would look like Merle was attacking her. This continued for a moment until Merle released her and stepped back. He paused, listening closely to the sound of the forest and then looked around.

'Stay here for a minute' Merle told Kat and did a quick scout around the area. 'Looks like he's gone. Must have been checking that we were doing what I said we were doing. Probably had orders to stay out of sight.' Kat just nodded sadly in reply.

'Not talking huh princess?' Merle asked gently. She looked up at him and her eyes seemed to convey everything. She wanted to but she just wasn't strong enough at the moment. 'They're heading to the sanctuary we were heading to. As much as I hate these jackasses, they might be our best chance of getting there safely. Besides I don't think they'll take us running off too well. As long as they think you're mine, you should be safe. We'll split at the first sight of anything going south. I'll keep you safe princess. I promise. You're family, me and Daryl need you.'

*****

Daryl sat in the middle of the train tracks with his head in his hands. He had promised himself that he would keep Beth safe. He couldn't even do that. He couldn't keep anyone he cared about safe.

'Well, lookit here' said Joe approaching Daryl, the rest of the men surrounding him. Joe leant forward to try to take the crossbow away from Daryl but was knocked to the ground as Daryl lashed out.

'Damn it, hold up!' yelled Joe to stop him from firing the crossbow at him.

'I'm claiming the vest. I like them wings' Len smirked, aiming his own bow and arrow at Daryl.

'Hold up' Joe said again and then began laughing at the blood coming from his nose. 'A bowman. I respect that. See, a man with a rifle, he could have been some kind of photographer or soccer coach back in the day. But a bowman's a bowman through and through. What you got there, 150-pound draw weight? I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least 300 feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that. Of course, I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains.'

'Get yourself in some trouble, partner?' Len taunted him. Daryl didn't reply, just held the crossbow in Joe's face.

'You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over. That what you want? Come on, fella, suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people? Name's Joe.' Joe offered.

'Daryl' Daryl replied. He didn't like these men but there was no way he was getting away without a fight. Maybe he should try it. Go down fighting. He banished that thought from his mind; Kat would want him to go on. Maybe find the others. If he had to pretend to get along with these bastards then he would.

'Well Daryl, we have a cosy place for the night. Why don't you come back with us? I can tell you about our group and then you can decide whether you want to join us' Joe smiled at him. Daryl just grunted. He got a very bad feeling about these men but there wasn't much else he could do. 'Better than sitting here waiting to be walker food' Joe smirked.

They began walking down the tracks a way. 'So how did you get to sitting in the middle of the tracks?' Joe tried to start a conversation.

'Was with a group. Things went south' was all Daryl replied with.

'Hmm' Joe said in response. 'Well we're a group of seven. Nine if you count you and the girl.'

'The girl?' Daryl asked.

'Yeah, we left a man behind looking after the house. He's got a pet. Took her from another group' Joe said.

'Don't try anything with her. He's real testy about it. Doesn't like sharing. Shame. She's got a great rack' Len grumbled. Daryl was liking this group less and less, if anyone spoke about Kat like that he would have punched them. Hell, he would have punched anyone for talking about any of the women at the prison in that way. He'd have to sneak away from this group as soon as possible.

*****

Merle sat in the front room of the house. Kat was in the bedroom, he thought it was best for her to stay in there. He could tell the men that he'd exhausted her or something. The truth was that he couldn't stand to be in the room with her any longer and look at her emotionless eyes.

He heard some movement outside and checked out the window. He could see the men approaching the house. He opened the door and called to them. 'Found anything good?'

'Yeah, found a new member. This is…' Joe began.

'Daryl?' Merle asked, not quite believing his eyes.

'Merle?' Daryl stood stock still. He couldn't believe that his brother was alive. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him but he kept it inside because he knew he couldn't show weakness in front of these men.

'Son of a bitch' Merle cursed and walked forward to hug his brother.

'You know each other?' Joe questioned, looking between the two.

'This here is my baby brother. We got separated a while back' Merle explained.

The men all gathered inside the house. Daryl had so many questions in his head that he needed to ask Merle but he couldn't do anything in front of these guys. They made small talk for a while, Daryl staying mostly quiet and listening to the lies that Merle told them. He caught on that Merle didn't feel comfortable around these men either.

'Where's your bitch at?' Len asked.

'Oh, she's passed out in one of the bedrooms. In fact, you look a bit too tense little brother. Why don't you pay her a visit?' Merle smirked at Daryl. Daryl's eyes widened, he had forgotten about what Joe had said about a girl. He didn't want to get his hopes up that it was one of the women from the prison but it looked like Merle was trying to tell him something. Surely Merle wouldn't have actually kidnapped a woman from a different group, the old Merle might have but he hoped that this new Merle wouldn't.

'But you don't share' Len protested.

'He's family. I make an exception for that' Merle replied.

'But… but…' Len stuttered, looking to Joe for some kind of ruling.

'Merle claimed the girl. It's up to him what he does with her. She's his property' Joe smiled.

'Come on Daryl. You'll like this princess' Merle winked. Daryl's heart soared at this. It was Kat. Kat was in one of these rooms. He had to keep his expression as neutral as possible to avoid suspicion though.

Merle led Daryl to one of the bedrooms and opened the door. Daryl walked in and Merle closed the door behind him. Daryl just stood and stared in awe at Kat sitting on the bed. She hadn't even looked up as he entered the room. He knew something was wrong, she looked like shit but he couldn't bring himself to move. He had hoped that somehow she had made it out and now here she was in front of him.

'Kat?' he whispered softly. At the sound of his voice her head whipped up so fast, he couldn't help but wonder whether she had just hurt her neck. She gazed at him in disbelief.

'I'm dreaming again. You're not really here' she whispered, sounding heartbreakingly fragile.

'I'm really here' he whispered back. He was taken by surprise when she launched herself into his arms. He wasn't expecting it and so hadn't braced himself and ended up hitting the door behind him with a thump.

'Take it easy little brother. Don't hit her around too hard. I need her for later' Merle laughed. 'Come on gents, let's give him a little privacy.' Obviously they had had an audience from outside the door. Luckily, they had only been whispering before.

Daryl wrapped Kat in his arms tightly as she sobbed as quietly as she could into his chest. He laid gentle kisses in her hair, still not quite believing that she was alive and here with him. He could feel her sagging against him and so he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, laying her gently half in his lap, curled up against his chest as he sat on the bed with her. He wouldn't release her from his arms and he shed a few tears alongside her.

'I thought you were dead' he whispered into her hair. 'I'm not letting you outta my sight again.'

*****

Daryl slid himself from beneath a sleeping Kat. They had just held each other and cried for a while but he knew he needed to go back out and face the other men to make this charade believable.

'Where is she?' Merle asked with a smirk as Daryl appeared downstairs.

'Passed out on the bed' Daryl said with a straight face. He wasn't as good at acting as his brother. The best he could manage was a complete poker-face.

'I'll go get her up, we're heading out soon' Merle said, disappearing up the stairs. He found Kat asleep on the bed, tear streaks down her cheeks. He hated to disturb her, he knew she had been having difficulty in sleeping and she looked quite peaceful now. He gently shook her until she began to stir.

She slowly began to regain consciousness but then began to panic. 'No, Daryl, no!' she said, thinking that it had all been a dream.

'Hey, hey princess. He's just downstairs. We gotta get you down there cause we're heading out soon' Merle said gently.

'He's really here?' she asked. 'I thought it was a dream. I'd given up hope.'

'I know you had princess' Merle gave her a quick hug. 'Remember you're not supposed to be happy with me and Daryl. We've kidnapped and raped you. Can you manage pretending?' Kat nodded her head vigorously.

*****

The group had set off walking early but Daryl had splintered off early to hunt something down for him, Merle and Kat to eat. The group had been walking for a few days, they found shelter when possible but otherwise they set up a small camp in the woods. The group of men seemed to be starting to trust him and Merle.

They had encountered a couple of groups on their scouting trips. One consisted of two men who had joined their group. The other was a family. That didn't fair too well. Daryl was glad that Kat hadn't been with them at the time as she had been left at the camp. The family had been killed for their supplies. He wanted to do something to help the family but any intervention by him would have resulted in him, Merle and Kat probably being killed as well. They were too outnumbered.

Daryl shook of those thoughts. He had been tracking a rabbit for a while and had finally caught up with it. He lined up his shot and fired when another arrow hit the rabbit at the same time.

'What the hell are you doing?' he asked Len who was behind him.

'Catching me some breakfast' he smirked.

'That's mine' Daryl snarled.

'My arrow's the one that hit first. Cottontail belongs to me' Len replied.

'Been out here since before the sun came up' Daryl told him, he wasn't about to let Len steal food from him Merle and Kat. He liked Len the least of the men. He always had his eyes on Kat.

'You see, the rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here. Now, that rabbit you're holding is claimed, boy. Claimed whether you like it or not. So I was you, I'd hand it over. Now before you get to wishing you ain't never even got out of bed this morning' Len threatened him.

'It ain't yours' Daryl denied.

'You didn't claim it. It ain't yours. Just like that bitch back there. She's your brothers. It ain't fair that you get to share with him when you haven't claimed her. What do you say I let you have the rabbit in exchange for me having a go at her' Len smirked. Daryl tried to reign in his anger. He wanted to kill this man for daring to say that about Kat. 'You know, I'll bet this bitch got you all messed up, hmm? Am I right? Got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail. Must have been a good'un. Tell me something. Was it one of the little'uns? 'Cause they don't last too long out here. Does Merle's girl make up for it?'

Daryl grabbed his knife and was fully prepared to end Len right there and then. He pulled his knife out but he was stopped by Joe grabbing his arm while Len just laughed behind him.

'Easy, fellas, easy. Let's just put our weapons down. See if we can't figure out what's really the problem here, huh? Did you claim it?' Joe asked Len.

'Hell, yeah' Len smiled.

'Well, there you go. That critter belongs to Len' Joe told Daryl.

'So let's have it' Len said expectantly.

'Looks like you may be wanting an explanation. See, going it alone, that ain't an option nowadays. Still, it is survival of the fittest. That's a paradox right there. So I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from going Darwin every couple hours. Keep our merry band together and stress-free. All you got to do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey, your bed at night. One word, claimed' Joe explained. Daryl had actually heard this from Merle but he hated it. It shouldn't be that way. He hated the fact that Merle had had to 'claim' Kat to keep her safe.

'I ain't claiming nothing' Daryl replied.

'We're gonna teach him, right? The rules say we got to teach him' Len said gleefully.

'It wouldn't be fair to punish you for violating a rule you never even knew existed' Joe interjected.

'There ain't no rules no more' Daryl replied.

'Oh, there are. You know that. That's why I didn't kill you for the crossbow. Hey. Easy there, partner.' Joe said and leaned forward to grab the rabbit but Daryl refused to let go of it. Joe swung a small axe and cut the rabbit in half and threw the head end to Len. 'Claimed. That's all you got to say. Hey, ass end is still an end.'

*****

The group of men and Kat were walking down the tracks. They hadn't seen any sign of the group they were supposedly following. Daryl looked behind to see that Kat and Merle were walking at the back of the group; Kat walking in front of Merle. It was unusual for Merle to be the last in the group. Daryl threw him a questioning glance and Merle twitched his head slightly as Daryl, signalling he wanted him to join him. Daryl slowed his pace gradually, allowing a couple of the men and Kat to overtake him until he was walking side by side with his brother.

'I'm worried about Kat' Merle broke the silence, they were far enough behind the other men that they couldn't hear them talking. They weren't really paying any attention to the Dixon brothers anyway, they were talking amongst themselves.

'She's still getting over Kayla's death. She'll be ok in time' Daryl tried to sound more confident of this than he actually felt. As if sensing that they were talking about her, Kat turned towards them and gave them a smile.

'No, it's not that. You didn't see her after it happened. She had lost you, Kayla, everyone else. She had given up hope. Her eyes…' Merle sighed. 'Her eyes were dead. It looked like someone had tortured her. She had no hope and she was dead to the world. You're back and she's getting better. That's the first time I've seen her smile in what feels like forever.'

'So what's the problem?' Daryl asked.

'Joe's noticed. She's acting like she doesn't want to be with us but she's not dead inside anymore. She can't hide the change in her eyes. She has hope again. I don't know what we can do about it but Joe is definitely suspicious' Merle told him.

'Shit' Daryl cursed. 'We'll just have to be more cautious around him. Always keep your weapons on you. We need to make sure that Kat is armed as well just in case.'

'I've already done that. On one of our trips out into the woods I made sure she has a knife hidden. She has a sheath strapped around her stomach. I made sure it was hidden' Merle said proudly. Daryl nodded. There wasn't much else they could do as a precaution against Joe. They just had to wait and see what happened.

*****

'They ain't here. Nobody's been here for a while. Whoever was, they got all the gas' Tony said. The group had entered a warehouse that would be their shelter for the night. It was full of old cars covered in tarps.

'That don't matter. We're getting closer. I can feel it' Joe said. The men then went around claiming cars to sleep in for the night. Merle managed to claim one. He had fully embraced the claiming system but Daryl still refused to claim anything. Merle slept on the backseat of the car with Kat in the foot-well. Merle felt uncomfortable about that but he couldn't be seen treating her too nicely. Daryl opted to sleep outside the car door, attempting to protect Kat and his brother from anything.

They bunked down for the night and all fell asleep. Only Kat woke up in the middle of the night needing to pee. Merle and Daryl had told her not to go anywhere alone so embarrassingly she needed to wake one of them to go with her into the forest.

'Merle, Merle… I need to pee' she whispered to Merle, trying to wake him up, shaking him slightly. He batted her hand away and grumbled before rolling over so that his back was to her. So much for that. She climbed out of the car, and only narrowly avoided stepping on Daryl who was asleep on the floor.

'What's up?' he asked, sitting bolt upright. Daryl was the alert one.

'I need to pee' she said shyly.

'Come on. I'll go with ya' he said, grabbing his crossbow. He led her out a short way into the woods.

'Well are you gonna go?' he asked once they had stopped in a part of the forest.

'I can't do it with you there!' she said embarrassed.

'It's only natural and I ain't leaving you alone here' Daryl smirked.

'Fine' she whispered and walked slightly off to one side to get as much privacy as possible. She was finished and they were about to head back to the warehouse when Daryl froze. Kat clung to his arm as they both heard a crack.

'Someone's following us' Daryl whispered. 'Stay here. I'm just gonna check ahead.'

He walked off and then off out of sight. Kat felt the distinct feeling of someone watching her. 'Daryl? Daryl?' she called, hoping he would come back. She then heard a crack from behind her. She spun around to see Len stood there smirking at her.

'Well look who I finally managed to get alone' he smiled. 'Those boys don't let you out of their sight. But now I've got Daryl away from you and you're all alone.'

Kat began to back away from Len as he started stalking towards her. She knew she couldn't outrun this man. She didn't know what was best to do. She was about to turn and run when she realised she had backed herself into a tree and Len sprung forward, caging her in with his arms. Not touching her though.

'Those boys don't like to share and I've been dying to get a taste of you' he licked his lips as his face came closer than hers.

'Get away from her' Daryl snarled, nudging Len with his crossbow in the back.

'Len' Joe warned, appearing behind Daryl. 'She's claimed.' After hearing Joe's warning Len stepped away.

'Did he touch you?' asked Daryl. Kat shook her head in reply.

'What are you doing out here?' Len asked Joe.

'Well I wanted to know where my people were disappearing to. Ran into Daryl who was examining some weird tracks and asked him where you were. Seems he didn't know you were out here. Now since you didn't touch the young lady, you can't be punished but don't let it happen again' Joe warned.

*****

Once they were back at the warehouse, Daryl didn't go back to sleep. He sat up all night. He wouldn't let Kat out of his sight again. He had stupidly thought it would be safe to leave her behind to go check for the danger but he had been led by a trick. He played right into Len's hands.

'You've got to be kidding me. Christ' Len cursed suddenly. Daryl sat up and looked at Len who approached him. 'Give it here.'

'You step back' Daryl warned him.

'My half was in the bag. Now it's gone. Now ain't nobody around here interested in no half a damn cottontail except you. Ain't that right?' Len yelled.

'You're the only one still thinking about that crap' Daryl replied.

'Empty your bag' Len moved towards the bag.

'I said step back' Daryl warned him again. Everyone else was interested in the argument now. Merle and Kat climbed out of the car.

'Did you take his rabbit, Daryl? Just tell me the truth' Joe said, taking the bag in Daryl's hands.

'I didn't take nothing' replied Daryl honestly.

'What do we got here? Come on. Well, look at that' Joe said as Len's half of the rabbit fell out of the bag.

'You put that there, didn't you? When I went out to take a piss' Daryl accused Len.

'You lied. Didn't you? You lied. You stole. We gonna teach this fool or what, Joe?' Len yelled.

'Whoa, whoa. Now, Daryl says he didn't take your half of the rabbit' said Joe coming in between the two men. 'So we got a little conundrum here. Either he's lying, which is an actionable offense, or... or you didn't plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheating, coward cop, did you? 'Cause while that wouldn't be specifically breaking the rules, it'd be disappointing.'

'It would' Len agreed. 'I didn't.' Kat tried to go to Daryl, she couldn't stand by and watch if these men tried to do something to him. She was held back as Merle discretely raised his arm to stop her moving forward.

Merle leaned forward to whisper to her. 'Wait. You can't show any affection. We'll step in if this goes south.' Merle didn't seem too worried about it so Kat relaxed slightly and stepped back and tried to school her facial expression into something that showed that she didn't care what happened.

'Good. Well...' Joe paused and then turned and punched Len in the face. '...teach him a lesson, gents. He's a lying sack of shit. I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way. I saw him do it.' The other men then descended on Len and began beating him.

'Why didn't you try to stop him?' Daryl asked.

'He wanted to play that out. I let him. You told the truth. He lied. You understand the rules. He doesn't. Looks like you get the head, too' Joe said before joining the other men.

Daryl grabbed the rabbit and walked over to stand by his brother. 'I think we need an exit plan' Daryl whispered as the men were distracted by beating Len. 'We need to get away from these guys soon.'


	17. Chapter 16

They had been walking down the tracks for days, seemingly no closer to the people they were hunting. Daryl and Merle had been trying to build up trust in themselves, building camaraderie with the other men.

'Me and Merle are gonna go hunt' Daryl told Joe. This was part of their plan. They would go out to hunt, take Kat with them and never return to the group. Hopefully Joe would trust them enough to go.

Joe nodded in response and motioned for the rest of the group to continue walking. Merle and Daryl started to head off into the woods at the side of the tracks and Kat went to follow them. 'Not you my dear' Joe stopped her with a hand on her arm. She flicked her gaze to Merle and Daryl and begged them not to leave her.

'I'll stay here with her then' Merle grunted.

'What? You don't trust us with her?' Joe asked. This was a fine line to walk. He didn't actually trust any of the men with Kat but if he told Joe that then he might lose any trust he had built up and they would be back to square one. Merle hesitated and didn't actually reply. 'You should go. I'll make sure no one else touches her.'

Merle looked quickly at Kat and saw her nod briefly. He couldn't be seen to care too much about her so he nodded at Joe and walked away. It took all of his efforts not to look back at them. Once he and Daryl reached the treeline, Daryl shoved him against a tree threateningly.

'How could you just leave her there alone?' Daryl snarled at him.

'I didn't have a choice. If I stayed behind Joe would know we didn't trust them and would have kept a closer eye on us, which puts Kat in more danger. If we go, we get back as fast as possible, and Joe knows we trust them. Maybe we can get out faster' Merle explained. Daryl grudgingly released his brother.

'Let's go then. It'll be dark soon' Daryl said.

*****

Kat had walked along the tracks in silence. It was dark now; she had hoped that Merle and Daryl would be back sooner than this. They must be having a hard time finding any food. One of the new men was walking close behind her, keeping a close eye on her. However, Joe had kept his word and no one had touched her… yet. She could feel the lustful stares of the men.

All of a sudden Joe raised his hand in the air and the men stopped walking. There was smoke coming from behind the trees off the side of the railway.

'Come on' whispered one of the men behind Kat and prodded her forward. She was forced to follow the men into the trees, keeping low and quiet as she did. The men peered out to a road that ran alongside the tracks. There was a man and a woman sat around a small fire. Kat gasped as she recognised the figures as Rick and Michonne.

'That's him. The asshole we're after' whispered Tony. Joe signalled the men to move closer and keep their weapons ready. She had to find a way to warn them. She made sure she stepped on a branch so that it snapped loudly. Immediately Rick and Michonne were on guard and looked in their direction. However, the men all found cover and Kat found herself pushed against a tree by one of the men. Rick and Michonne waited a moment before resuming their conversation, assuming it was a wild animal or bird.

Joe was sneaking forward towards the two with his gun at the ready. Kat managed to wriggle her way free from the man holding her and yelled 'No!' She was too late. Joe already had his gun at Rick's head.

'Oh, dearie me. You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up' Joe taunted him. Michonne leant over to get her sword but Tony kicked it out of the way. The other men were approaching with their weapons trained on the two, except for the man who was now holding his gun to Kat's head and pushing her forward. 'You screwed up as well girl. We're gonna have to get rid of you as well' Joe told Kat. 'Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe. Shit, and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve. Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh? Ten Mississippi. Nine Mississippi. Eight Mississippi.'

'Joe! Hold up' Daryl yelled, suddenly appearing with Merle at his side.

'You're stopping me on eight, Daryl. Sorry about your piece of ass but she tried to warn these two here. Can't have that. Do you know each other?' Joe looked between Kat and Rick and Michonne. Kat struggled to get out of the man's grip but he tightened his grip on her.

'Just hold up' Daryl tried to calm Joe down.

'This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about' interjected one of the other men.

'The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time. Say your piece, Daryl' Joe said.

'These people, you're gonna let 'em go. These are good people' Daryl tried to reason with him.

'Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom' Joe replied.

'You want blood, I get it' Daryl dropped his crossbow to the floor. 'Take it from me, man. Come on.'

'No!' Kat screamed and resumed her struggles against the man holding her.

'This man killed our friend. You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie! You and her, you said she's nothing to you. That's clearly a lie as well. I thought she was yours Merle?' Joe asked.

Merle replied by loudly cocking the gun in his hand. He was prepared to fight for their lives. Joe smirked at this movement. 'Merle, make one wrong move and Sam here will slit your girl's neck.' The man, Sam, behind Kat raised his knife around her neck and forced her to face Merle.

'I'm sorry Daryl. Teach him, fellas. Teach him all the way' Joe said and two other men dove on Daryl and began beating him. He had no weapon to defend himself after placing down his crossbow earlier. Kat screamed but Sam kept a tight hold on her with his knife pressed against her neck, drawing a tiny bit of blood due to her struggling. Merle desperately wanted to help his brother but he knew that Daryl would kill him if Kat was to be killed because he had tried to help. He also had a man with his gun trained on him. Michonne, Rick and Carl also watched helplessly. They were outnumbered. There was one of the men holding a weapon on every single one of them except for Daryl who had two of them beating him.

'I'm gonna have some fun with you before I kill you. I've been watching you for ages' Sam said, whispering into her ear. He let his free hand trail up her thigh and began to slip his hand under her shirt.

Kat became uncomfortable and managed to stop his hand before he travelled any higher. She grabbed his hand and pushed it from under her shirt, Merle growling at the man the whole time but unable to do anything to stop it. Kat managed to take this opportunity to wrap her hand around the hilt of the knife that was strapped under her shirt. The men thought she didn't carry a weapon and so hadn't bothered to check. Sam couldn't see her movement from his vantage point but Merle caught sight of the movement and gave her a small nod. In one quick movement she pulled the knife from the sheath and plunged it back into Sam's stomach. She managed to pull his knife away from her neck before he toppled back onto the floor, clutching his stomach, unable to get up. Simultaneously, Merle had taken down the man with the gun pointed on him and had sprung forward to help Daryl.

Kat saw that Merle had managed to turn the tables in Daryl's favour and Kat sprung forward and stabbed the man that had grabbed hold of Carl and was pulling him from the car. Rick and Michonne took advantage of the distraction that Kat and Merle had provided and ducked out from beneath their attacker's guns. Rick managed to head-butt Joe and knock him backwards. Joe, however got up, and began to beat a dazed Rick. Michonne had managed to turn Tony's gun around and shot Tony in the head. She then took the gun and shot Joe, causing the man to topple off of Rick, who he was still beating. The fight had gone much more smoothly than Kat had expected, everyone seemed relatively unharmed.

'You ok?' Daryl rushed over and pulled Kat into his arms. He seemed to do a quick sweep of her body with his eyes to check for any injuries.

'I'm fine' she whispers back.

'That girl of yours is something. She took down the guy holding her and provided the rest of us the chance to attack. Without her, things could have gone south quick' Merle laughed and pulled Kat out of Daryl's arms to give her his own hug.

'You guys ok?' Kat asked Rick, Michonne and Carl. They all nodded back and thanked her. 'Are you ok?' She began to fuss over Daryl who had obviously taken some hits in his beating. He had a black eye and was covered in bruises and scratches but nothing seemed serious.

'Stop fussing' he smiled. 'If you're ok, I'm ok.' He smiled and stroked her face, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

*****

The group had rested by the car for a while to allow everyone to recover from what had happened. They had caught up briefly on who might have made it out of the prison. Kat cried for a while after having to tell the story of how Kayla died again and also learning that Judith seemed to have died in the attack. After a while, they then decided to head towards the sanctuary, it was the best chance of finding the rest of their people. More of them had made it out of the prison than any of them had expected, maybe the rest of the group was waiting in the sanctuary. They could only hope.

The maps were indicating that they were getting closer to 'Terminus'. They had decided to head towards it through the woods so that they could possibly scope out the place first and see if it was safe. They approached fences that were placed a fair way back from the sanctuary. They looked down but it looked empty, there were no signs of people outside the building and the windows were all boarded up with no way to look inside, particularly at the distance they were at.

'We all spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready. We all stay close' Rick instructed them. They all went in separate directions and Kat moved to head off alone but was stopped by Daryl.

'You're staying with me' he murmured to her. They walked around the fence for a while, looking for any signs of life but didn't see anything.

'Can't see nothing' Daryl murmured. 'Only way looks to be going in.'

'I get a bad feeling about this place Daryl. It seems too good to be true. I don't like it' Kat replied. She didn't know what it was about it but she just got a bad feeling.

'It might be our only chance to find our people' Daryl said.

'And what if they're not even there?' Kat countered.

'We can't stay out on the road forever. We need more people. This could be a chance to start again' Daryl said. He grabbed Kat's hand and was rubbing small circles on it. 'This could be a new start for us all. We need somewhere safe. It could be the beginning for us.' His eyes seemed to promise so much more and so Kat pushed away her misgivings and smiled up at him. He wrapped her in his arms in a hug before they broke apart to head back to the others.

*****

They found Rick burying a bag full of guns. 'Just in case' he said and Kat nodded immediately. Obviously Rick wasn't sure about this place either. Daryl didn't reply, somehow the hunter seemed to be just hoping for the best in this place. Rick finished burying the bag and the others eventually returned, no one had seen anything from within Terminus.

When they were prepared, weapons at the ready, the six of them scaled the fences and jumped over on to the tracks. Kat had been provided with a gun and she kept the hidden knife strapped under her shirt in case things went south. They crept towards a building and entered through an open fire exit. These people clearly weren't very safety conscious Kat noted. Once inside the building they could hear voices and so they headed in that direction. Daryl took the lead with his crossbow at the ready as they entered a room with people in. There was a woman broadcasting the Terminus message through what Kat presumed was a radio. Others were working on more map signs that would be posted along the railway. They entered and no one seemed to notice they were there. They were really not safety conscious. They were only noticed when Rick approached the broadcasting woman and said 'Hello'. All the other people then seemed to take notice of the six newcomers.

'Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch. You here to rob us?' one man asked and began to approach them.

'No. We wanted to see you before you saw us' Rick explained.

'Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet. Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit' Gareth commented, taking in the state of them all.

'We have. Rick. That's Carl, Daryl, Kat, Merle and Michonne' Rick introduced them all. Gareth waved in response. Everyone was still very much on guard though.

'You're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That what you're here for?' Gareth asked.

'Yes' Rick said simply.

'Good. You found it. Hey, Alex' Gareth called another man forward. 'This isn't as pretty as the front. We got nothing to hide, but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you.' Everyone glanced at each other, very unsure of what would happen once they were disarmed.

'All right' Rick replied and began to take his weapons out and put them on the floor. Everyone followed his example but Kat did so grudgingly.

'I'm sure you understand' Gareth said.

'Yes, I do' Rick responded. Kat had placed the gun on the floor but kept her knife hidden under her shirt. However, the men indicated for them to spread their arms so that they could be searched for any other weapons.

'That one as well please' Gareth indicated for Merle to unstrap the blade from the end of his hand, which he did reluctantly.

'I'd hate to see the other guy' Alex commented on Daryl's bruised face.

'You would' Rick agreed.

'They deserve it?' Alex asked Carl as he patted him down.

'Yes' responded Carl with certainty.

Gareth approached Kat and began to pat her down. He immediately came across the knife. He coughed and motioned for her to remove it. 'Nice try beautiful' Gareth tried to charm her. Kat removed it and decided to play along. This guy gave her the creeps but maybe if she acted like an innocent woman then things would go smoother.

She smiled up at him and then changed it to a frown. 'I'm so sorry. We just had a run in with a group of men. They tried to…' Kat trailed off as though she was going to cry.

'It's ok. I understand' Gareth responded. Kat glanced at Daryl as Gareth turned his back and Daryl raised a questioning eyebrow at her. She winked at him and Daryl nodded in reply. He understood what she was doing.

'Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people, but we aren't stupid either. And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions. Okay?' Gareth continued. Alex then went along the line handing their weapons back to them. They all felt more at ease having their weapons back.

'Follow me' Alex told them and led them through the compound to an outdoor area.

'So how long's this place been here?' Daryl asked.

'Since almost the start. When all the camps got overrun, people started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path. Some folks were heading to the coast, others out west or up north, but they all wound up here' Alex explained.

'Hi. Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here' greeted a woman who was manning a barbeque.

'Hey, Mary, would you fix each of these new folks a plate for me?' Alex asked her. They were all a bit preoccupied taking in their surroundings. It looked pretty: flowers, people milling about. There was still something that Kat didn't like.

Michonne, Carl, Merle and Alex continued to talk but Kat was distracted as she looked around. She had spotted a very familiar poncho. The poncho had belonged to Daryl. She would have sworn it was his. Kat made eye contact with Rick and nodded in the poncho's direction, he nodded back. He had spotted several other items that belonged to members of their group.

Rick walked forward and knocked the plate of food out of Alex's hands, yanked something out of his pocket and held his gun to his head. Everyone else immediately had their own weapons at the ready. They aimed in all directions so that no one could come close to Rick, they all trusted him implicitly.

'Where the hell did you get this watch?' Rick asked. All the other people in the courtyard had their hands on their weapons, prepared to attack them. They outnumbered them and things could get bad fast.

'You want answers? You want anything else? You get 'em when you put down the gun' Alex told him.

'I see your man on the roof with a sniper rifle. How good's his aim? Where'd you get the watch? Where'd you get the watch?!' Rick yelled.

'Don't do anything! I have this! You just put it down. You put it down!' Alex shouted to the sniper, who dropped his gun from Rick. 'You want to listen to me. There's a lot of us.'

'Where did you get the watch?' Rick repeated.

'I got it off of a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it' Alex said.

'What about the riot gear? The poncho?' Rick indicated to all the belongings that had belonged to members of the prison.

'Got the riot gear off a dead cop. Found the poncho on a clothesline' Gareth said, appearing behind them. Merle immediately changed the direction of his gun to being trained on Gareth. He didn't trust the slimy bastard.

'Gareth, we can wait' Alex began to say.

'Shut up, Alex' Gareth said.

'You talk to me' Rick ordered.

'What's there left to say? You don't trust us anymore' Gareth shrugged it off.

'Gareth…' Alex began again.

'Shut up' Gareth said firmly.

'Gareth, please' Alex begged.

'It's okay. It's okay. Rick, what do you want?' Gareth asked.

'Where are our people?' Rick demanded.

'You didn't answer the question' Gareth said. He then made a gesture and a man from behind them opened fire on the group. Rick swung Alex round and Alex took the shots, falling to the ground dead. Everyone opened fire on one another and for a moment it was chaos. The group clumped together and tried to take as many of the Termites out as possible. Somehow, none of them was sustaining any injuries.

The group began to run in one direction, led by Rick, but shots fired at them stopped them. They changed direction, Daryl leading the way this time. 'Come on!' yelled Daryl, making sure that Kat was by his side as they were running.

They kept getting fired at and having to change direction until they ducked into a warehouse. All of their exits were blocked off bar one. They went through a door labelled 'A'. They were outside again and running around the buildings. They passed some shipping containers and heard voices yelling for help from inside.

'What the hell?' asked Daryl as they ran past. They didn't have time to help these people.

'Keep going' yelled Rick. They ran into a building and inside they found what looked to be a shrine or something. There were candles placed all around the room and names of presumably dead people were written on the floor. On the wall was written 'Never again, never trust, we first, always'.

'What the hell is this place?' Daryl asked.

'These people, I don't think they're trying to kill us' Michonne said.

'No, they were aiming at our feet' Rick confirmed. 'There. There. Go!' Rick pointed out a door and they all left through it, once again labelled 'A'. Kat felt like this was a route that had been laid out. They were forcing them to go to a certain place. They were trapped. They were outside again but were once again cut off by snipers on the roof. Men appeared in the bushes in front of them, guns trained on them. They were stood beside a container labelled 'A'. They had reached their destination.

'Drop your weapons! Now! Now!' yelled Gareth. The group reluctantly dropped their weapons. 'Pull up your shirt, beautiful. Not falling for the same trick twice. Make sure you take off that knife.' Gareth smirked at her and Kat cursed under her breath but made sure that she obviously removed the knife from under her shirt.

'Ringleader, go to your left. The train car, go. You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies and you end up in there anyway' Gareth ordered and waited for Rick to move into place. 'Now the archer. Now Captain Hook. Now the samurai' Gareth ordered, making sure that Daryl, Merle and Michonne were in place. 'Now you beautiful'. Kat moved into position in the line behind Michonne.

'Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, captain hook, samurai, beautiful, in that order' Gareth ordered.

'My son' Rick yelled.

'Go, kid. Ringleader, open the door and go in' Gareth yelled.

'I'll go in with him' Rick said.

'Don't make us kill him now' Gareth threatened. Rick opened the door and they all entered the container, relieved when Carl made it in safely. The door closed behind them, plunging them into darkness, only a few beams of light making it into the container. It took a moment for Kat's eyes to adjust to the gloom. Daryl moved closer to her and grabbed her hand, their fingers intertwining.

Suddenly, they saw movement from the other end of the container and they were all on guard. A figure moved forward into a beam of light.

'Rick?' asked Glenn. Kat visibly sagged in relief and launched herself into Glenn's arms so relieved to see her friend. She then noted the other figures behind him. There was Maggie, Sasha and Bob. Kat hugged them all in turn.

'You're here. You're here' Rick said in relief. There were four other people stood behind them.

'They're our friends. They helped save us' Maggie explained.

'Yeah. Now they're friends of ours' Daryl nodded at them.

'For however long that'll be' said the ginger man with the moustache.

'No' said Rick firmly. 'They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out.'

'Find out what?' asked the ginger man.

'They're screwing with the wrong people.'


	18. Chapter 17

The group hadn't been in the container for long when the door slid open. The group squinted against the light, momentarily blinded by the change in light. Five men stood with guns in the doorway. The man in front scanned the group and his eyes locked on Kat. Daryl noticed their interest and stood firmly in front of her; Rick, Merle and Glenn also moved to block her from view. The Termites shoved their way through the men, hitting Rick, Merle, Daryl and Glenn back with their guns.

One of the termites grabbed Kat and forced her out of the container. 'No!' she screamed. She could hear the group shouting for her back in the container but they were kept back by the guns. They had no weapons and were defenceless at the moment. The container door slid shut with a bang and she knew there would be no help.

She was dragged into a building and then into a smaller room. She was forced into a chair and then left alone in the room. The room was quite bare; only the chair she was sat in, the table in front of her and a chair on the other side of the room furnished it.

She heard the door behind her open and suddenly she wasn't alone anymore. Gareth slid into the seat on the other side of the table, gazing at her intently. 'Hi beautiful' he greeted her.

'I'd prefer Kat' she replied, trying to keep her disgust for this man off her face. She would continue pretending to be the weak woman. Maybe she could get free.

'Of course. Kat' he corrected himself with a smile. 'I hope you understand that we had to lock away your friends. We let you in here and trusted you. But Rick… he doesn't trust anyone does he? He's too damaged. He was prepared to kill us all. But you're different. I can tell. I like you Kat, which is why I'm offering you a chance. A chance to join our community.'

'You're not offering anyone else this chance?' she asked.

'No. You're special' Gareth smirked. He got up from the chair and came around to Kat's side of the table. He sat on the table in front of her.

'What would I need to do to join your group?' she asked.

'Well you see… it's difficult to explain. Did you know that bears, when they start to starve, they eat their young. If the bear dies, the cub dies anyway. But if the bear lives, it can always have another cub' Gareth explained.

'Ok' Kat said slowly, not understanding where his point was going.

'Well, we take in so many people here. We have a food shortage. We have scouted all of the local areas and there just isn't enough food to sustain everyone without going on increasingly longer scouting trips. We don't have the fuel for that. We had to start thinking about alternatives' Gareth continued.

'That's smart I guess. You started growing your own food right?' Kat asked, she remembered seeing plants being grown in boxes outside of the sanctuary.

'Well yes but that still wasn't enough. You see, when people come to the sanctuary, if we like them, we offer them a choice. You join us or feed us' Gareth stated. Kat managed to keep her facial expression neutral as the horror of his statement sank in. They actually ate people that they trapped in those containers. They wanted her to join their community and eat her friends. She wanted to vomit at the idea but somehow managed not to.

'I really want you to join us here, Kat. I think you'd fit in. I want to get to know you' Gareth smiled, crouching down beside her seat and reached forward and stroked her face. Kat smiled back at him, the smile not reaching her eyes, before punching him in the nose with all the force she could muster. He groaned in pain as his nose crunched and blood began streaming from it.

'Bitch' he groaned. Immediately, two men entered the room, obviously having been stood outside the door as guards. They grabbed her and waited for instructions from Gareth.

'Make her regret refusing us. Then throw her back into the container with the others' Gareth ordered.

*****

Daryl was pacing the container when the door suddenly slid open and Kat was shoved through the door before it closed with a bang behind her. She collapsed to the floor and Daryl rushed to her side. He turned her face towards him and surveyed the damage that had been done to her. Her face was beginning to bruise and the way she was clutching herself indicated that the rest of her body would be in a similar condition. She had been beaten.

Daryl wanted to beat the shit out of them for this but he was trapped in this damn container. He was useless in here. After Kat had recovered slightly she had informed the group about what the Termites were planning on doing to them.

'We have to be ready' Rick had answered calmly. He had set them all to creating make-shift weapons. Trying to carve slices of wood off the inside of the trailer, sharpening belt buckles, using shoelaces, absolutely anything that they might be able to use in a fight. Merle had managed to take a chunk of wood off the side of the container and had placed it firmly in Kat's hands before trying to take a chunk for himself. Kat sat and was attempting to sharpen the chunk of wood into a point to cause as much damage as possible.

'All right, got four of them pricks coming our way' said Daryl who had been stood guard at the door, peering out the tiny gap in the door.

'Y'all know what to do. Go for their eyes first. Then their throats' Rick instructed them as everyone raised their weapons at the ready.

'Put your backs to the walls on either side of the car. NOW!' came a shouted instruction from one of the men outside. Everyone ignored this.

They were all surprised, however, when the door to the container did not open. Instead a hatch on the ceiling opened and a canister was dropped in.

'MOVE!' yelled Abraham and everyone dove away from the canister as it suddenly released gas that made it difficult to see anything in the container and made them all choke and cough. This was when the door to the container slid open and men in gas masks entered.

Daryl had pushed Kat into the corner of the container and was protecting her with his body. They were not going to get their hands on her again, not while he was alive to stop it. However, this wasn't their plan at all.

Daryl realised what was happening when he heard one of the guys say 'This one here. He'll do. Lots of muscle.' He immediately felt two men grab him. He lashed out with his piece of wood but it was difficult when his lungs were still protesting about the smoke. The wood was knocked out of his hands before he could do any real damage and the hands continued to try to pull him towards the door. He managed to break free and punch one of the men.

Daryl knew what was going to happen once he was taken out of the container. He managed to get back to Kat who was still in the corner, unable to see much of what was happening. He took the last chance he thought he might get and grabbed Kat by the back of the neck and pulled her towards him. Their lips crashed together in a frenzied moment and Daryl tried to pour all of his feelings into that one brief kiss, certain that it was unlikely he would ever see her again. The moment was cut short as the men recovered and grabbed him and dragged him away into the smoke.

*****

The smoke in the container eventually cleared and Kat managed to take in who was left in the container. The Termites had taken Daryl, Rick, Bob and Glenn. The rest of the group took stock of who was left.

'Damn it' cursed Maggie, looking on the verge of tears at Glenn being gone.

'We're useless in here' muttered Abraham.

'We continue Rick's plan. Carry on with your weapons and hope we get another chance' Michonne tried to calm everyone down and take charge.

'What good is that gonna do when they are out there killing the others?' Carl raged. They all felt so trapped when the Termites could be killing and eating their family at any moment.

'It's all we can do. Just be ready' replied Michonne.

'You ok?' Merle asked Kat quietly. She seemed to be frozen in the corner, shell-shocked.

'Daryl doesn't think he's coming back' she whispered quietly for only Merle to hear.

'What?' Merle asked urgently.

'He kissed me, Merle. You know Daryl wouldn't have done that unless he thought he'd never see me again' Kat whispered back, a couple of tears broke free from her eyes and streaked down her face.

'He'd never kissed you before? Jesus, that boy works slow. Everyone figured you'd bumped uglies ages ago' Merle chuckled quietly. Kat just shot him a questioning look, unsure how he could find humour in this situation. Merle grabbed her face and wiped the stray tears from her cheek with his thumb. 'Listen to me. We are getting out of here. We are getting Daryl back.' Merle said it with such conviction that Kat almost couldn't question it.

'But…' Kat began.

'No but's. We're gonna get my little brother back and I'm gonna have a word with him about how to treat you right. I want nieces and nephews before I turn 100' Merle chuckled as Kat blushed bright red. Merle pulled her into a hug and kissed the crown of her head gently. This girl was his little sister and damn it if he wouldn't do anything to stop her from crying.

*****

Everyone was continuing with their make-shift weapons when they first heard the sounds of gunfire.

'They've caught some more' Kat sighed, feeling sorry for the new people that were about to be trapped by the cannibals. However, shortly after their came an explosion. Everyone froze.

'What the hell is going on?' Abraham asked, slamming his fist against the container. They would all do anything to be out of there.

'Someone hit them' Michonne replied.

'Maybe our people got free' Sasha said hopefully.

'Excuse me' said Eugene, pushing his way towards the door.

'What the hell are you doing?' asked Rosita.

'I might be able to use this shell to compromise the door. From the sound of things, there may not be anybody left to open it' Eugene explained.

'Eugene, I'm sorry, but shut up' Tara said.

'Okay' he replied simply.

'Hey. My dad's gonna be back. They all are' Carl told them calmly. Kat admired the complete faith he had in his dad.

'They are. And we need to get ready to fight our way out with them when they do' Maggie confirmed. With this, they all began work on their weapons once more.

Kat had honed her piece of wood into a point. Any further work on it seemed useless so she joined Michonne over by the door. 'What do you see?' Kat asked.

'Walkers. The tides are turning for Terminus' Michonne smirked.

They continued with their weapon prep, all the while hearing shots and screams and the snarls of walkers. No idea if there would be anyone left to open the container. Maybe they were going to be left to starve in here. Eugene was continuing to work on the door, hoping to get them out of there.

'What's the cure, Eugene?' Sasha broke the silence they had been working in.

'It's classified' he replied automatically.

'We don't know what's gonna happen' Michonne told him.

You leave him be' Abraham warned them.

'We need to keep working' Maggie tried to interject.

'Yeah, but it's time to hear it. 'Cause we don't know what's coming next' Sasha argued.

'What's next is we get out of this' Tara said.

'Even if I told you all, even if I provided step-by-step instructions complete with illustrations and a well-composed FAQ and I went red-ring, the cure would still die with me' Eugene said.

'I'm not gonna let that happen' Abraham said confidently.

'The best-case scenario, we step out into a hellstorm of bullets, fire, and walkers. I'm not fleet of foot. I sure as hell can't take a dead one down with sharp buttons and hella confidence' Eugene replied.

'Yeah, but we can and we will' Michonne reassured him.

'You don't owe us anything. Not yet. But we just want to hear it' Sasha continued to press for his answer.

'You don't have to' Rosita told Sasha.

Eugene sighed and stopped him work on the door. He looked around at them as if weighing up whether he could trust them. 'I was part of a 10-person team at the Human Genome Project to weaponize diseases to fight weaponized diseases. Pathogenic microorganisms with pathogenic microorganisms. Fire with fire. Interdepartmental drinks were had, relationships made, information shared. I am keenly aware of all the details behind fail-safe delivery systems to kill every living person on this planet. I believe with a little tweaking on the terminals in DC, we can flip the script. Take out every last dead one of them. Fire with fire. All things being equal, it does sound pretty badass. But that's if I make it out of here' he explained to them all.

'If you can do what you say you can do… I'll protect you with everything I've got. I promise' Kat told him. The others in their group nodded in agreement. They would help this man take down all the walkers. Maybe then they could start rebuilding their world.

'So let's get back to work' Maggie told them. However, before they continued they were stopped by banging against the container. All of a sudden the door was pulled open and Rick was stood in the doorway.

'Come on! Fight to the fence!' yelled Rick as they all piled out of the container with their makeshift weapons. 'Go, go, go!'

Kat jumped out of the container and with relief saw Daryl fighting against the walkers. There was no time for any kind of reunion before they were fighting off walkers and running for an exit. Their eyes met briefly, both reassuring the other that they were ok for now. They ran for a fence, taking down the walkers as necessary, moving effortlessly as a group. Eugene running through the middle like a lost dog while everyone else protected him. Kat stuck close by his side, taking down anything coming their way, mindful of her promise to him.

'Up and over. Let's go!' shouted Rosita as they reached a fence.

Abraham took charge and threw a large piece of sheeting over the barbed wire to allow them to climb over. Merle, Daryl and Bob jumped the fence with ease but everyone else was slightly too short to get over easily. Abraham dragged a piece of crate to allow people a few steps up and was giving people a boost. They needed to go before the herd of walkers caught up with them. Rick had stayed slightly behind to hold the majority of walkers off with the rifle he had taken.

Kat moved to get over the fence but was too short. Abraham moved towards her to help her, putting his hand on her ass and shoving her over. The walkers were getting too close and there was no time to do it in a better way. Rick followed Kat and Abraham managed to leap over the fence just as the walkers descended.

Kat bent over slightly with her hands on her knees, panting from the exertion of running and fighting off the walkers. Abraham approached her from behind and clapped her on the shoulder. She looked up at him and he smirked at her and then winked.

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. 'I'm grateful for your help but next time keep your hands to yourself' Kat said firmly. Abraham raised his hands in surrender and laughed at the attitude of the young woman.

'Sorry. My mistake. Normally I'm a gentleman' he chuckled as Daryl approached them both, having heard the conversation.

'Better stay that way' growled Daryl. He then grabbed Kat and pulled her into a kiss there in front of everyone. They didn't care who was watching, this moment was just for them. All of the relief, pain and love was poured into that one kiss as they clung to one another. As cliché as it sounded, everything else seemed to fade away. This was them both declaring their feelings: to one another and to the group.

They broke apart and finally took notice of the rest of the group. Merle was hooting and hollering at them both with a shit-eating grin on his face. Most of the group was smiling gently at the couple, glad that they had finally worked things out. Abraham grumbled 'Well now I know why I have to keep my hands to myself.'

Daryl and Kat both blushed. Kat buried her head in Daryl's chest while laughing quietly. Daryl didn't have the advantage of hiding his embarrassment and so just ran his fingers through Kat's long hair and then kissed the top of her head.

The rest of the group finally lost interest and began to move on. Daryl looked down at Kat and smiled. 'If your hair gets any longer I'll be able to run my fingers through your hair' Kat laughed at him. He chuckled in response. Her smile dropped. 'I was so scared you were dead.'

'Hey. I was scared too and we're always gonna be in danger. It's the way of the world now. But know that I'll never leave you unless I have to' Daryl promised her. He kissed her forehead and then looked and saw that the group had started walking away from Terminus. 'Come on. We need to catch up with the others.'

They walked away, leaving Terminus burning behind them. Daryl took the lead and began tracking back to the place where they had buried the bag of guns. 'Right here' Daryl pointed, uncovering a spade from underneath a pile of leaves. Rick began digging and uncovered the bag.

'The hell are we still around here for?' Abraham questioned.

'Guns, some supplies. Go along the fences. Use the rifles. Take out the rest of 'em' Rick said.

'What?' Glenn asked in surprise.

'They don't get to live' Rick said sternly.

'Rick, we got out. It's over' Glenn tried to reason with him.

'It's not over till they're all dead' Rick contradicted him.

'The hell it isn't. That place is on fire. Full of walkers' Rosita reasoned. The majority of the Termites were dead or dying.

'I'm not dicking around with this crap. We just made it out' Abraham agreed.

'The fences are down. They'll run or die' Maggie agreed. Rick looked around and saw that the whole group agreed with not going back.

They all went still as they heard movement behind Rick, expecting a stray walker. They all stopped in shock to see Carol. Daryl immediately ran to her and embraced her tightly, on the verge of tears. Rick approached slowly once Daryl had released Carol.

'Did you do that?' Rick asked. Carol nodded and Rick hugged her tightly in thanks.

'You have to come with me' Carol told him. Once Rick had released her, Kat moved forward and hugged her tightly. Carol pulled back slightly and ran a hand over Kat's cheek.

'I'm so sorry' apologised Carol. Kat looked at her questioningly. 'For what happened with you, Karen and David.'

'It's ok. I forgive you' Kat replied and Carol enveloped her in a hug again. Carol crying quietly into her shoulder.

*****

After brief reunions with everyone, Carol led the way and they began walking again. They had no idea where they were heading. They walked up to a small wooden cabin and out of the door came Tyreese with Judith in his arms. Rick, Carl and Sasha dropped everything and began sprinting forwards. All of them crying at being reunited with their family.

Once Ty had finished greeting Sasha, Kat ran forward and launched herself into Ty's outstretched arms. 'I'm so glad you're ok' he said as he hugged her tightly.

'We've all been through some shit but we're gonna be ok. We're together again now' Kat smiled.

Once Carl and Rick had thoroughly greeted Judith, Kat stepped forward and had a quick cuddle with Judith. She had missed the little girl. She returned her quickly to Rick though as the man didn't want to let his daughter out of his arms again. Kat understood and made her way back to Daryl as everyone else greeted them. Daryl put his arm around her and pulled her to his side, kissing her head again.

'We've got our family back' Kat sighed in happiness.

'All except Beth' Daryl frowned, thinking about how he had failed the young blonde girl.

'We'll get her back. All of us together. We can do anything' she told him confidently.

'I hope you're right' Daryl sighed.


	19. Chapter 18

They started walking down the train tracks. They had begun in quite high spirits with having been reunited with so many of their group. However, the facts were starting to sink in. They had nowhere to go, no destination they were heading towards for safety. Nothing was certain. They were just wandering in the woods, hoping for some miracle to occur.

Kat had begun walking with Daryl but she started slowing down to walk towards the people at the back of the group: Tara, Rosita and Abraham. She hadn't had much conversation with them in the container and she wanted to get to know the newest people in their group.

'Hey' Kat greeted them as she started walking in step with them.

'Hi' chorused Tara and Rosita in reply. Abraham just raised his eyebrow questioningly at her; he still hadn't got past her attitude from earlier.

'I just wanted to say you really don't have to worry about him being inappropriate with you. He really isn't that kind of guy. Besides he's actually with me and he'll have me to deal with if he does' Rosita elbowed Abraham teasingly.

'Oh because you're so scary' he teased her back. Kat smiled at the two of them.

'Although I can't say I'd turn you down if you wanted to join us' Rosita said to Kat. Kat laughed loudly hoping that Rosita was joking. Rosita winked at her.

'I don't think Daryl would be too happy about that' Kat laughed.

'A man that handsome. I'd be ok with him joining us as well' Rosita joked. The four of them laughed loudly at the situation. As if sensing that he was being talked about, Daryl turned around and narrowed his eyes at the four of them, making them laugh even harder. Kat winked at him and he smiled gently before turning back around just shaking his head gently at their antics.

Kat stayed and continued to banter with Rosita, Abraham and Tara, getting to know them all better. Rosita was feisty and sarcastic and Kat knew she would get on well with her. Tara was also sarcastic but she seemed as if she was a bit lost at times. Abraham was stubborn but strong, he might clash personalities with the other men in the group but Kat was sure that his heart was in the right place. She liked having the girls her own age around. Maggie was around and they got along but Maggie spent most of her time with Glenn. Sasha had always been a bit more stand-offish with Kat. She thought that Rosita and Tara could be good friends.

Kat looked behind her and saw that Eugene was walking alone behind them. She gestured for the other three to continue and she tried to strike up a conversation with the awkward genius.

'It's ok to be scared' she said gently.

'I am aware. I contribute to the group in other ways. Bravery is not in my repertoire' Eugene said in his monotone way of speaking.

'I used to be like that too. I was practically scared of my own shadow when Glenn and Daryl found me. It gets better' Kat tried to reassure him. She hoped that she could give him some confidence, maybe he could be trained to better defend himself.

'How did you become, if you don't mind me saying, so badass?' Eugene asked.

Kat laughed at being called a badass. 'Well, being around these people… you start to care. You have to do things to protect the ones you love so I asked Merle and Daryl to teach me. Besides, being around all these badasses, well, becoming a badass transfers by osmosis' Kat joked.

'That is not how osmosis works' Eugene said, completely serious.

'It was a joke Eugene' Kat said. She patted him on the shoulder and then started to speed up so she could once more walk alongside Daryl who seemed glad to have her by his side once more.

'You're always so damn friendly' Daryl commented.

'It's how I got past your walls isn't it?' Kat smirked up at him.

'Shut up' Daryl replied but bumped against her arm playfully.

*****

They stopped for the night and made a small fire, trying to keep the smoke to a minimum so as not to attract any other people. They ate the last of the supplies, they hadn't lasted long due to the large number of people now in their group.

Some people were starting to drift off to sleep but Kat sat by the fire. Daryl and Carol were on guard duty and so were sat on the edge of the group. Kat sat with Ty, catching up with her best friend; she was glad to have him back.

'So you've forgiven Carol for what she did to Karen?' Kat asked quietly.

'Yeah. I can't forget what she's done but I understand why she did it. Karen and David were too sick at that point. There was no coming back for them. At least she killed them quickly. They would have suffered if she'd left them to die of the flu. She was trying to protect everyone. Shame it didn't work' Ty answered. Kat nodded, he'd obviously given this a lot of thought and she agreed with his reasoning. 'What about you? She knocked you out.'

'I can't really complain. She left me alive' Kat replied, trying to make light of the situation.

'I think things would have turned out a lot differently if she'd decided that you were a threat as well' Ty commented, glancing to where Daryl and Carol sat on duty.

'Would it though?' Kat questioned.

'He might not have said much but Daryl cared a lot about you even then. So does everyone else. I don't think we'd have reached this point of forgiveness if she'd killed you as well' Ty suggested.

Kat watched Daryl and Carol whispering together quietly. Daryl reached over and put his arm around Carol. He seemed to be comforting her about something and he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Kat knew that Daryl and Carol shared a bond, they were close friends, but she couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. It had taken so long for Daryl to kiss her but he was so casual with his affection for Carol.

Ty followed Kat's gaze and pulled her into her own hug. He knew there wasn't much he could say to her. He knew Daryl loved her but he had a strong bond with Carol as well. Kat would never begrudge the two of them that bond as she had her own bond with Carol but Kat wasn't as confident as she liked to project. She was still an insecure young girl inside.

*****

They were walking the next day when they suddenly heard yells for help. They ran towards the sound and found a priest trapped on the top of some rocks, surrounded by walkers. They dashed forward to help the man.

Kat stormed forward and took one out with her knife. However, she hadn't seen the other walker coming up behind her. Her hair had come out of it's ponytail whilst they were walking and the walker took advantage by pulling her back by the hair. Kat could feel the breath of the walker on her face and its chomping teeth were coming closer to her as she struggled to get free. All of a sudden she was dropped as Merle stabbed the walker through the skull at the same time that a crossbow arrow had pierced it.

'You ok?' checked Merle.

'Yeah, thanks' Kat nodded at both Dixon brothers. She turned back to see the man that they had saved slide down from the rock before throwing up on the ground. He introduced himself as Father Gabriel before claiming he had no weapons and that the word of God was all he needed for protection. Everyone was suspicious of this man; he looked too shifty, like he was hiding something.

'How many walkers have you killed?' questioned Rick.

'Not any, actually' Gabriel laughed as Rick searched him for weapons.

'Turn around. How many people have you killed?'

'None' Gabriel said, seemingly shocked at the question.

'Why?' asked Rick.

'Because the Lord abhors violence' Gabriel replied.

'What have you done? We've all done something' Rick squinted at him.

'I'm a sinner. I sin almost every day. But those sins, I confess them to God, not strangers' Gabriel replied. He was sweating and looked shifty, he was definitely hiding something.

'You said you had a church?' asked Michonne. Just like that, they had a destination in mind, maybe somewhere they could settle for a while.

*****

Gabriel led them to a quaint little church called 'St. Sarah's'. Rick, Daryl, Merle, Glenn, Michonne and Carol went inside to check that it was clear.

'We found a short bus out back. It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in less than a day or two. Father here says he doesn't want it. Looks like we found ourselves some transport. You understand what's at stake here, right?' Abraham said. He wanted them all to head to Washington as soon as possible.

'Yes, I do' Rick said simply.

'Now that we can take a breath…' Michonne began.

'We take a breath, we slow down, shit inevitably goes down' Abraham countered. He had a point.

'We need supplies no matter what we do next' Michonne argued.

'That's right. Water, food, ammunition' Rick said. They all filed past Abraham into the church. They all wanted to help stop the apocalypse but they needed time to regroup first. Saving the world would just have to wait a little longer.

Once they were inside they realised that they needed supplies sooner rather than later. Gabriel informed them of a food bank that he hadn't scavenged because there were a dozen or so walkers inside. Rick, Gabriel, Michonne, Bob and Sasha headed off to bring back as much food from there as possible. Tara, Glenn and Maggie found a gun shop nearby listed in the phone book and decided to head over just in case anything was left there. Abraham, Rosita and Eugene were going to be out back trying to fix up the bus.

'I'll go get as much water as I can from the river we saw a way back' Carol stated.

'I'll go with you' volunteered Daryl. Daryl looked at Kat but she shook her head.

'I'll stay here and help look after Judith' she said.

'I'm gonna head out to hunt for a few days. Try and get something big that will last a while if I can. Something better than those squirrels' Merle taunted Daryl who was still carrying around a string of squirrels.

'Hey, watch it' Daryl replied. Merle just smirked and headed out with his gun slung over his shoulder. 'You sure you want to stay here?' Daryl asked Kat.

'We only have 4 big bottles for water. There's no point me going. Besides, if anything happens here, Tyreese and Carl need more backup. We'll be fine, just go' Kat tried to reassure him. She glanced behind him at Carol who was stood uncomfortably in the doorway. Although everyone said they had forgiven her for what happened back at the prison, Kat knew that Carol was still uncomfortable with the group. She was keeping her distance from everyone, she wasn't her usual friendly self. Kat leaned forward and whispered to Daryl, 'Try to find out what's up with Carol if you can. She's not acting normally. I'm afraid she's gonna leave the group.' Daryl looked over at Carol, who was looking out the door, and nodded. He had been feeling the same way. Kat knew that if anyone could get it out of Carol then it would be Daryl. She wanted Carol to stay with the group, despite the jealous pangs that sometimes fought their way to the surface about their bond.

*****

They'd been sat in the church just talking for a while when Carl decided that he wanted to explore the church a bit more. He passed his sister to Kat who cuddled the infant to her chest and Carl went to explore. She didn't bother shouting any warnings to him, Carl could take care of himself perfectly well.

'You think we'll stay here long?' Ty asked her.

'I don't know. Depends how the scavenging goes. If there's no supplies then there's no point. But honestly, with Rick's hero complex, I think we'll be heading to Washington pretty soon. If we have a shot at ending all this shit, we gotta take it don't we?' Kat asked.

'Yeah. A world with no walkers. It's a start. But the people that have been left surviving? Sometimes I wonder whether it's just the worst of humanity that have survived. The ones who don't mind doing absolutely anything to survive…' Ty trailed off at that thought.

'Maybe not just the worst of humanity. Sure, we've all done things that we regret but most of it was in self-defence. We've had to be strong to survive. That's just the way the world works now. Doesn't mean we're all bad' Kat said hopefully. They were interrupted from their deep conversation by the scavenging party returning. Rick, Michonne, Sasha, Bob and Gabriel returned wheeling in boxes full of food. They were going to eat well tonight.

A short time later Daryl returned as well. He pulled Kat to the side slightly. 'Whatever happened, whatever's bothering her, she won't talk about it. We found a car at the side of the road, not sure whether she's planning on using it as a getaway vehicle' Daryl whispered.

'We can't stop her if she wants to leave. If she's unhappy with the group for some reason then we can't make her stay' Kat replied, frowning. Daryl looked as though he wanted to argue about that but just ran a hand over his face and stayed silent. 'All we can do is try to keep an eye on her. Hope she doesn't slip out without anyone noticing. Maybe we can convince her to stay in the meantime.'

*****

The rest of the parties all made it back safely and they were having a feast to celebrate the safe place and plentiful food that they had found. Shame that Merle wasn't here to enjoy it with them. Kat sat with Ty and Rick, who were both feeding Judith small morsels of food. They had also found a few bottles of wine and so everyone was indulging.

'I'd like to propose a toast' said Abraham loudly. 'I look around this room... and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title. To the survivors.' Everyone chorused the phrase back and took a drink, the festive mood continuing.

But Abraham continued and the mood went more sombre. 'Is that all you want to be? Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat? Cause you can do that. I mean, you got the strength. You got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip. Eugene, what's in DC?' Kat looked around and noticed that Carol sat slightly away from the group and kept glancing at the door. Obviously the talk with Daryl hadn't helped at all.

'Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge. Restart' stated Eugene.

'However this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one. Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there who don't got nothing left to do except survive' Abraham stated. Kat looked around and people were nodding to themselves but they were all waiting for Rick to give his seal of approval. He was the leader of the group and they would follow wherever he led.

Rick smiled as Judith let out a little noise. 'What was that?' he asked her. 'I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in.' They laughed and clapped at Rick's declaration.

'Yeah. Let's do it' Ty said to Kat as they laughed together.

The festive mood returned and Kat continued to play with Judith. She looked up and watched as Carol slipped out of the door. She made eye contact with Daryl and nodded as he indicated that he was going after her. Hopefully she wasn't going anywhere but if she was planning on it, Daryl would try to convince her to come back. She continued to play with Judith to distract herself until Sasha came over and asked to hold the little girl. Kat handed Judith over and went to stand by the door. She looked out into the night and saw no sign of Daryl or Carol.

'He'll be back soon. Hopefully, he'll have Carol with him' Ty said as he came to stand by her side. Kat gave him a questioning look wondering how he knew exactly what was going on. 'Hey, I'm not stupid you know. I've seen how uncomfortable Carol's been lately. I was with her on the road remember. Some shit went down out there. Shit we'd both rather forget.' Kat put her hand comfortingly on Ty's arm. 'I'm ok. There's no way in hell I'm leaving you, Sasha and Judith. Carol's only really got you and Daryl tying her here.'

'She's not really been talking to me much. I forgave her for what happened at the prison but she just doesn't seem to be the same around me. Just Daryl…' Kat trailed off and looked at her feet.

'You know it's not like that between them right?' Ty asked. Kat nodded, blushing in shame that Ty had picked up on her sometimes jealous thoughts.

'I know there's nothing romantic between the two of them. I guess… I'm just jealous by their close bond and how easy it seems to be between the two of them. It's not that easy with me and Daryl…' Kat trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

'You don't see the way Daryl looks at you when he thinks no-one is watching. If you did, then you wouldn't question his feelings.' This just made Kat blush harder. 'Come on, I think you need more wine.' Ty steered her back towards the party and the alcohol. Daryl would be back soon.


	20. Chapter 19

The festive atmosphere had slowly left the church. Sasha had noticed that Bob still hadn't reappeared from outside, where she assumed that he had been using the bathroom. She left to go look for him. Kat made to go after her, she was concerned that Daryl and Carol had been gone so long and no one should be out in the woods alone at night.

'I'll go after her. I'll keep an eye out for Daryl and Carol' Tyreese pressed her back down in her seat. She nodded and noticed that Rick followed Tyreese out. He had noticed the disappearances as well.

The three of them eventually entered back through the doors but Kat's heart sank when Bob, Carol and Daryl weren't with them.

Sasha marched straight up to Gabriel who appeared to be tidying up some of the mess from the party. 'Stop. What are you doing? What are you doing? This is all connected. You show up, we're being watched, and now three of us are gone' Sasha accused him.

'You didn't see them?' Kat whispered quietly to Tyreese. He shook his head and looked at her sadly.

'I... I don't... I don't have anything to do with this' Gabriel denied, looking generally confused. Sasha pulled out her knife to threaten the man with.

'Don't!' yelled Rosita, who tried to intervene but was held back by Abraham.

'Sasha, put it away' Tyreese tried to tell her.

'Who's out there?' she asked.

'I… I don't have anything... to do with this' Gabriel continued to deny.

'Where are our people?' she asked again.

'I don't have anything to…' Gabriel stuttered, shaking under Sasha's angry stare.

'Where are our people?!' she screamed.

'Please, I don't have anything to do with this. I…' said a shaken Gabriel. Sasha was pulled back by Rick.

'Why'd you bring us here?' asked Rick.

'Please, I…' Gabriel tried to get out.

'You working with someone?' asked Rick.

'I'm alone. I'm alone. I was always alone' Gabriel tried to tell him.

'What about the woman in the food bank, Gabriel? What did you do to her? "You'll burn for this." That was for you. Why? What are you gonna burn for, Gabriel? What? What did you do? What did you do?!' yelled Rick. He had grabbed the priest by the lapels and was shaking him.

Gabriel began to openly weep as he told his story. 'I lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always lock the doors at night. I always… They started coming, my congregation. Atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared. They were… they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe. And it was so early. It was so early. And the doors were still locked. You see... it was my choice. There were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. And so the dead came for them. Women... children. Entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy. Begging me for mercy. Damning me to hell. I buried their bones. I buried it all. The Lord sent you here to finally punish me. I'm damned. I was damned before. I always lock the doors. I always lock the doors' cried Gabriel. During his story he had sunk to the floor, seemingly unable to stay standing under the weight of his guilt.

Everyone was distracted from the sobbing priest by a whistling outside. Glenn went to the window and peered out into the darkness. 'There's something… there's someone outside lying in the grass' he warned them.

They went outside, weapons at the ready. They approached the figure lying in the grass. It was Bob. Sasha ran to his side.

'His leg!' Maggie gasped. Kat peered down and saw that his left leg had been amputated at the knee. It had been only crudely bandaged, he had clearly lost a lot of blood.

'Get Bob inside. We'll take care of them' Glenn yelled to Sasha. Sasha and Tara carried him inside, whilst Glenn, Maggie, Kat, Rick and Abraham got rid of the walkers that had started approaching the church, drawn by the blood. Kat took down a walker but then gasped when she saw that an 'A' had been painted on the side of the church. The Termites were back and they had marked them for death. Bob was just a warning. Maybe Daryl and Carol were still with them.

'Get inside!' yelled Rick and Kat went back into the church as Rick took down the last of the walkers with his gun.

Bob had been placed by the altar and everyone was gathering around him. Surprisingly he seemed to be stirring.

'What happened?' Glenn asked him.

'I was in the graveyard. Somebody knocked me out. I woke up outside this place. It looked like a school. It was that guy, Gareth. And five other ones. They were eating my leg right in front of me. Like it was nothing. All proud, like they had it all figured out' Bob struggled to get his story out. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

'Did they have Daryl and Carol?' asked Rick gently.

'Gareth said they drove off' Bob answered. Tyreese was stood next to Kat and touched her arm gently. She shook off the arm and walked off to the other end of the church. Her worst fear seemed to have come true. Carol had decided she couldn't stay with the group any longer and Daryl had decided to join her. His friendship with Carol meant more than his new relationship with Kat. Kat understood Daryl's loyalty, it was in his nature but it didn't mean it hurt any less. It felt as though her heart was trying to escape her chest. It just hurt.

The others were busy moving Bob into Gabriel's office and out of politeness ignored the emotional turmoil that Kat was experiencing at the other end of the church. There was no way to get privacy nowadays.

Tyreese appeared by her side. He touched her shoulder and she turned round slowly, revealing the tears that were escaping her eyes. He didn't say anything, he simply pulled his best friend into a tight hug, enveloping her in his arms. She let go of her emotion and openly sobbed into his chest.

*****

Tyreese had left Kat to go help move Bob to the office. The atmosphere in the church was tense. They thought they had found a relatively safe place, they had finally reunited as a group and had a purpose. Now it had all gone to shit.

'Time for a reality check. We all need to leave for DC right now' Abraham stated.

'Daryl and Carol are gonna be back. We're not going anywhere without them' Rick replied. He seemed a lot more certain of their return than Kat felt at the moment.

'I respect that, but there's a clear threat here to Eugene. I need to extract his ass before things get any uglier. So if y'all won't come, good luck to you. We'll go our separate ways' Abraham started heading for the door with Rosita behind him.

'You leaving on foot?' Rick asked.

'We fixed that damn bus ourselves' Abraham said.

'There are a lot more of us' Rick reasoned.

'You want to keep it that way? You should come' Abraham clearly wanted them all to leave with him. The group weren't going to leave the Termite threat though. Rick had been right, they should have killed them when they had the chance. Who knows how many people they had killed between Terminus and here and now they had basically killed Bob.

'Carol saved your life. We saved your life' Rick told him.

'Well, I am trying to save yours. Save everyone's' Abraham yelled.

'We're not going anywhere without our people' Rick replied calmly.

'Your people took off' Abraham countered. He then looked directly at Kat and yelled 'Daryl left you. He took off with another woman.'

'They're coming back' Rick remained adamant and glanced at Kat to gage her reaction. She just kept her face completely neutral.

'To what, picked-over bones?!' Abraham yelled in Rick's face.

'You're not taking…' Rick yelled, reaching to grab Abraham.

'Do not lay hands!' yelled Abraham, swiping his hands away.

'Hey, hey, stop! Now!' yelled Glenn, getting in between the two angry men. 'Do you really think that you're gonna be any safer leaving right now in the middle of the night?' Glenn asked Abraham.

'Yeah. Yeah' Abraham looked pointedly at Rick as though he thought Rick was a threat.

'What about tomorrow? We need each other for this. We need each other to get to DC. We can get through all of it together' Glenn tried to reason with Abraham. They would need Rosita and Abraham if they wanted to take down the Termites.

'I have an idea. If you stay just one more day and help, I'll go with you to DC no matter what. Okay?' Tara intervened.

'Glenn, Maggie and Kat too' Abraham stated. Kat looked at the man confused, she'd not had much to do with him. Why would he want her to help?

'No' Rick said firmly.

'Good luck, then. I'm not interested in breaking up what you have here. Rosita, grab your gear' Abraham said.

'Abraham…' Rosita began but was cut off.

'Now. Eugene, let's go. Eugene. Move it' he ordered.

'I don't want to' Eugene replied. Kat was shocked that Eugene was even trying to stand up to Abraham.

'Now' Abraham demanded though.

'Okay' Eugene folded rather easily.

'You're not taking the bus' Rick called to Abraham as he had turned to leave.

'Try to stop me' Abraham said calmly. There was a tense pause between the two men before they both started to walk towards each other, clearly intent on a fight.

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Hey, hey, hey! You stay… you stay and help us, and we will go with you' Glenn bargained, getting in between the two men once more.

'No' Rick tried to protest.

'It's not your call. You stay, help us' Glenn offered on behalf of him and Maggie.

'Half a day. Come high noon, we're taillights. I'm not waiting for the other damn shoe to drop' Abraham countered.

'And we will leave with you' Maggie agreed.

'12 hours. Then we go' Abraham stated. Then he turned to Kat. 'What about you? You promised to protect Eugene with everything you got. Well, I'm asking for everything.'

Kat nodded in reply before turning around and headed straight into the bathroom. She locked the door and let her thoughts catch up with her. She had just agreed to leave the group. Her pain over Carol and Daryl leaving was too overwhelming and she didn't want to be around the rest of the group as constant reminders. Maybe it was stupid but she needed to get away, at least for a while. She was under no illusion that the rest of the group would just let Glenn and Maggie walk away, they would come to Washington after them eventually. She just needed some time away from them.

She looked into the mirror and took in her appearance. She had put on some weight since she left the basement, which was surprising considering the lack of food they almost constantly faced; she didn't look quite so skeletal. She tried to run her fingers through her long tangled hair. Her mind flashed back to the walker that had managed to almost bite her because it grabbed her hair. She grabbed Gabriel's razor from the shelf next to the sink. She hacked through her long hair, cutting it roughly to just above shoulder height.

She looked back in the mirror and smiled. The cut was messy but it would be much easier to manage this way. She felt a little smug about cutting her hair off since Daryl had loved her long hair. Again, it was a little childish but she couldn't help but feel stronger because of it. Last time Daryl had left she had just moped. She wasn't going to be that weak girl anymore. This time she would be strong, she had a purpose and she was not going to just sit around and wait for him to maybe come back.

*****

Kat finally emerged from the bathroom once she had composed herself. Tyreese came over to her and smirked at the haircut.

'Did you even look in the mirror to cut this?' he asked with a laugh, pulling lightly at her hair.

'Blind barber was the look I was going for. Don't you like it?' Kat smirked in reply. She then sighed. She knew why Ty had come over to talk. 'You know I have to do this.'

'I know' replied Ty, taking Kat by complete surprise.

'You do?' she asked.

'Of course. I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. Just try to keep yourself alive until the rest of us make it to Washington' he warned her.

'You think Rick will follow us to Washington?' she questioned.

'I know Rick will follow you all to Washington' he replied. They were interrupted as Rick approached them and stopped when he took in her hair. He shook his head and decided not to comment.

'Kat, can I have a word?' he asked quietly. She nodded in reply and Ty returned to the office to give the two of them some privacy.

'Don't go' Rick stated simply.

'I have to do this Rick. I promised to protect Eugene. Besides, with everything that's happened with Daryl…' she began.

'Daryl's gonna come back' Rick said firmly.

'What if he doesn't? I'm not gonna sit here for the rest of my life praying that he will come back. This is something I can do. There isn't much left for me here' she told him.

'What about Tyreese, Judith…' Rick began to list.

'Tyreese understands and Judith will hardly notice I'm gone' she countered.

'Well what about when Merle gets back from his hunt. He will be pissed enough when he gets back' Rick tried.

'How long do you think Merle will stay with the group with his brother gone? Answer: he'll leave immediately. I don't want to put him in an awkward position of having to choose me or his brother. I'll lose every time and I've lost enough Rick' she replied.

'I really can't convince you to stay?' Rick asked sadly.

'No. I can help people this way. I can't put my life on hold. I can't let Daryl be my weakness.'

*****

They planned their attack on the Termites. The majority of the group would head out and pretend to leave the church. They would let the Termites enter the church, let them think that they had left their people defenceless and then ambush them. They left a couple of able-bodied people behind in case something went wrong. Tyreese, Rosita, Kat and Carl would be able to defend the group if things went south.

The larger group left and the smaller group locked themselves in the office. Then they had to wait. The tension was palpable. The silence was killing Kat. Suddenly a voice rang out and Kat wished for the silence back.

'Well, I guess you know we're here' Gareth called. 'And we know you're here. And we're armed. So there's really no point in hiding anymore. We've been watching you. We know who's here. There's Bob, unless you've put him out of his misery already. And Eugene. Rosita. Martin's good friend Tyreese. Carl. Judith. And of course you, beautiful.' Kat cringed at his continued use of that nickname. 'Rick and the rest walked out with a lot of your guns. Listen, we don't know where you all are, but this isn't a big place. So let's just stop this now before things get more painful than they need to be.' There was a rattling of the door as someone tried to get in. They all aimed their guns at the door, preparing to possibly take anyone out.

'Look, you're behind one of these two doors and we have more than enough firepower to take down both. Can't imagine that's what you all want. How about the priest? Father, you help us wrap this up, we'll let you walk away from this' Gareth tried to bargain. Kat glanced at the priest and worried. He was shaking and sweating, she worried that he was going to break. 'Just open the door and you can go. You can take the baby with you. What do you say?' Kat inwardly cursed as Judith began to cry, giving away their location. She heard guns being cocked and knew they were all being aimed at the door.

'It's your last chance right now to tell us you're coming out' Gareth warned them.

Kat heard shots being fired before she heard Rick's voice. 'Put your guns on the floor' Rick said. Kat calmed and knew that the rest of the group were here now. Their plan was working.

'Rick, we'll fire right into that office. So you lower your gun…' Gareth said before being cut off and groaning in pain. She assumed that someone had shot him.

Kat tried to block out everything else that was happening outside the door now. She knew they weren't in much danger so she lowered her gun. She picked up Judith and cradled the little girl to her chest. Rocking her back and forth, trying to block out the sounds that were coming from the other side of the door. The Termites were not going to survive their trip into the church. Rick would not let them go again no matter how much they begged.

Tyreese opened the door and looked out. His look of horror said it all. Kat wished he would close the door as the screams and stabbing sounds filtered into the room, making Judith wail in her arms. She almost felt like joining the infant in her emotional outburst. What was their group coming to?

*****

Kat wiped stray tears from her cheeks as she left the church. They had all said goodbye to Bob. She didn't know him all that well but he was still one of them. Losing people was just part of this new world though. Life had to go on. So she put on a brave face and prepared to say a different kind of goodbye to the rest of the group.

She nodded as she passed Gabriel and Sasha. She didn't know Gabriel that well and Sasha was caught up in her grieving so Kat didn't think any attempt to say goodbye would go down well. She moved to say goodbye to Michonne, who surprisingly reached out and hugged her.

'Take care of yourself' Michonne told her.

'Tell Merle not to give you guys too much trouble or I'll kick his ass' Kat laughed.

'You really won't stay?' Michonne asked. Kat shook her head sadly and moved on.

She ruffled Carl's hair gently and gave Judith a kiss on the cheek, where she was positioned in Carl's arms.

'This is our route to DC. We'll stick to it as long as we're able. If not, well, you got our destination. Once Eugene gets to the big brains left up there, things are gonna bounce back. This group should be there for it. You should be there for it' Abraham told Rick as the group gathered outside.

'They will be' said Maggie confidently.

'We will' confirmed Michonne.

'We will' seconded Rick.

'Let's go' Abraham said and Tara, Glenn and Maggie followed him on to the bus.

Kat hung back to say her final goodbyes to Rick and Ty. 'Daryl and Merle will come back and we'll follow you to Washington' Rick promised.

'I know' Kat replied sadly, not really believing it herself. 'Take care of yourselves.'

'We'll see you soon' said Ty, pulling her into a final hug.

'Bye' she whispered and placed a friendly kiss on his cheek. She then turned her back on the group and got onto the bus. They drove away from the church, leaving half of their family behind.


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone likes 'The 100' fanfics, I'm beta reading a fanfiction. It's called 'Life makes love look hard' by Black_Wings. It's a Bellarke fanfic and it's great. Check it out!

Abraham had managed to get the CD player on the bus working again and was playing some cheerful music as they cruised down the empty roads. Kat was sat in a window seat behind Glenn and Maggie, with Eugene sat next to her. The others were talking to one another but Kat mostly tuned them out and watched the greenery pass by through the window. Her thoughts were so jumbled, she didn't regret what she had done but she was missing the rest of her family already.

Glenn and Maggie's conversation broke through her thoughts. 'Maybe they're just behind us. Maybe Daryl and Carol came back. Maybe they took the map, found some cars, and they're just down the road' Maggie said hopefully.

'They'll catch up. We're clearing the way for 'em' Glenn replied with the same confidence.

Kat couldn't help but wonder what the group would do if Daryl and Carol didn't show up again. Carol had been so reluctant to be around the group after what had happened at the prison. What if Carol had decided to leave and Daryl had gone with her. How long would Rick decide to wait at the church? If they didn't come back, would he go after Daryl and Carol or Glenn, Maggie, Tara and her. She just didn't know.

The conversation changed to asking how long it would take for the world to get back to normal once Eugene managed to do whatever it was he was going to do. It all sounded like techno-babble to Kat.

'Anyway, the speed with which things normalize depend on a number of factors including worldwide weather patterns, which were modelled without the assumption that cars, planes, boats, and trains wouldn't be pouring hydrocarbons into the atmosphere this long. Changed the game quite a bit when it comes to air-transmissible pathogens' Eugene told Glenn and Maggie who were questioning him.

'Why the hair?' Glenn asked, changing the subject.

'Because I like it. And no one is takin' scissor or clipper to it anytime soon. Do you hear me, Miss Espinoza?' Eugene asked.

'Yes, loud and clear' Rosita laughed in reply.

'Same goes for you Miss Kat. After the hash job you made of your own' Eugene said seriously.

'Hey!' Kat laughed, she could take a hit. Everyone laughed in response.

'Y'all can laugh all you want' Eugene said.

'No one was makin' fun' Maggie told him.

'The smartest man I ever met happened to love my hair. My old boss, T. Brooks Ellis, the director of the Human Genome Project. He said my hair made me look like, and I quote, "a fun guy", which I am. I just ain't Samson' Eugene said.

One moment they were all laughing together and the next there was a bang and the bus started swerving. There were abandoned cars left on the road and Abraham did a good job on avoiding the first few, when he clearly had very little control over the bus anymore. He couldn't avoid the last though and the bus became airborne before landing on its side.

Kat groaned in pain as she slowly moved her body, testing that everything was still working. She had been on the side of the bus that had hit the ground, her head had smacked into the glass as it smashed and Eugene was thrown on top of her. Eugene was helped up quickly by Tara and Kat felt better with the weight of the man removed from her. She managed to pull herself up, by some miracle nothing seemed to be broken but she knew she would be bruised and sore tomorrow. She lifted her hand to her head and pulled it away, taking in the large amount of blood. She cursed when she realised that her old scar had opened up. She had a scar running down the right side of her face where Merle had cut her with his knife back when Glenn, Maggie and her had been kidnapped to Woodbury; it was odd to think of Merle being the enemy back then. Her scar was obviously a weak point and had opened up again. She was bleeding quite profusely.

'The engine's on fire. We gotta get out of here' Rosita said. They all took in the state of their situation, with walkers banging on the windows.

'All right, you and I go first' Glenn told Abraham. 'Knock 'em back, clear the way for Maggie and Rosita to get out, then we all start hitting them, okay?'

'Yeah, all right. We'll do it live. Tara? Kat? You cover Eugene, come out when it's clear' Abraham told them.

'Okay' they both confirmed. Kat wanted to be more help but she knew she was losing quite a bit of blood from her cut. She didn't want to pass out while taking out walkers.

'On my go! Go!' yelled Abraham as he kicked out the emergency exit at the back of the bus. He and Glenn climbed out quickly and started taking down walkers, Rosita and Maggie following quickly behind.

'Come on. I know it sucks and it's scary, but it's time to be brave' Tara encouraged him. A walker broke through the side window of the bus and Tara took it out with her knife. It definitely wasn't safe for them to remain within the bus. It was time to join the fight.

'It isn't voluntary' Eugene said, still lacking the courage to join the fight.

'It is, when you're screwed either way. So you cut through the choice that might help somebody. Come on. I'm right behind you' Tara encouraged him, handing him a spare knife. Kat was just focusing on trying to stem the flow of blood with her sleeve. Blood kept trickling into her eye and making it difficult to see. She tore off the sleeve of her shirt and tied it round her head, covering as much of the cut as she could without obscuring her vision. Hopefully it would stem the blood and keep her vision clear for the remainder of the fight.

Eugene climbed out of the bus and Kat and Tara followed after him. They both joined the fight. Abraham, Glenn, Maggie and Rosita had managed to take down a good chunk of the walkers, whose bodies now lay scattered on the ground. There was a manageable number left, particularly now with Tara and Kat to help. Eugene just stood there clinging desperately to his knife while the fight continued around him. He was too scared to help.

The fight was winding down when Kat noticed Tara taking down a walker but another approaching her from behind that she hadn't seen. Kat took down the walker to her right, heading over to help Tara. Before she reached her, Eugene surged forward and stabbed the walker. He stabbed it in the back, not killing it but stopping it from getting Tara, who then turned around and stabbed it through the head. Kat looked around and saw Abraham take out the last of the walkers.

'Welcome to badass training' Kat smiled at Eugene and patted him on the shoulder. The man just looked in shock, still clinging to the knife.

'Check Eugene, see if he's hurt' was Abraham's immediate reaction.

'I'm fine. Just cuts and dings is all' Eugene confirmed that he was okay.

'Check him!' ordered Abraham again.

'Is that your blood?' Maggie asked Abraham, indicating to the blood covering his hand.

'Yeah. Damn thing opened again. I swear, the cuts are finer than frog's hair. They're just big bleeders' Abraham confirmed that he hadn't been bitten.

'First aid kit's in the bus. I'll see what we have' she told him. She turned to head back to the bus just as it burst into flames.

'We should probably get a bit further back from the fire trap' Kat said, taking in their close proximity to the bus.

'We're not stopping. We're rolling on. We'll find another vehicle down the road. The mission hasn't changed' Abraham said, picking up his duffle bag from the road.

'Devil's advocate, nothing more… we smashed to a stop hard. We spent a lot of time rolling things out of the road. The church is just 15 miles back that way…' Eugene reasoned.

'No. We don't stop. We don't go back. We're at war, and retreat means we lose. The road fights back, the plan gets jacked. You all know that. Now, we will get through this because we have to. Every direction is a question. We don't go back!' Abraham was yelling this by the end.

'Hey, hey, hey. You okay?' Glenn asked. Everyone could tell that there was something more to Abraham's obsession with this mission.

'I am fit as a damn fiddle' Abraham snapped.

'We are going with you. You are calling this thing. I just need to know you're good' Glenn replied.

'This is how things stop. I can't afford that right now. The world can't afford it. Listen, I took a pretty hard shot to the sack with that crash. I am stressed and depressed to see that ride die, but if you say we're rolling on, I'm good.'

'We're rolling on' Glenn confirmed.

'I'm gonna rub some dirt on it and walk it off' Abraham said.

'We'll find what we need like we always have, on the way' Rosita added.

'You gonna be okay for a while, with your head like that?' Maggie asked Kat.

'Yeah. My makeshift bandage will hold until we stop for the night' Kat said.

'I can stitch it for you when we stop' Rosita told her.

'As long as Abraham doesn't try to rub any dirt in it, it'll be fine' Kat smirked at Abraham.

'Maybe we can find some bikes. Bikes don't burn' Tara said, looking back at the inferno that the bus had turned into.

Abraham started walking, leading the group down the road. Kat only prayed that they would find a vehicle soon. It would be a very long walk to Washington.

*****

They didn't find any vehicles for the rest of the day that they could use. What they did find was a library that they could spend the night in. They checked that it was free from walkers and then began preparing to spend the night there. They made a fire and set to boiling water from the water tank of the toilet.

Maggie managed to pull thread that had been used in the binding of some of the library books. Rosita had a needle in her pack and was using it to stitch up Abraham's hand and then Kat's head. Kat couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes at the pain, after all they had no painkillers.

'Thanks' Kat thanked Rosita once she was finished.

'I've made the stitches as neatly as possible, hopefully it won't scar too badly' Rosita told her.

'Doesn't matter too much these days anyway. Everyone has scars. More like a badge of honour now' Kat smiled.

'Nice way to look at it' Rosita smiled back. 'Try to keep it clean if you can. I'm gonna go see how Abraham is doing on watch.'

Kat smirked at Rosita, knowing full well that Rosita wanted some private time with Abraham. 'Better make sure someone else covers his watch before you do' Kat laughed. Rosita laughed back and swatted her gently on the shoulder as she left.

Kat laid out on the floor. She wasn't due to cover watch until much later. Tara would wake her up when it was her turn. Until then, she should sleep. But night was the worst, the time when she was left alone with her thoughts. She was alone. Everyone else seemed to have paired off. Of course, Rosita and Abraham and Glenn and Maggie were couples but even Eugene seemed to have taken a liking to Tara and was sticking to her like glue. Kat was alone. She sighed, sleep was going to be difficult tonight.

*****

Kat took over watch from Tara at what was probably about 4:00. She was going to stay on watch until morning. She stood looking out of the window as the sun began to rise, watching for anything. Walkers, people, their group.

'Hey, we're gonna go through there and discuss what the plan is. Some of us think we should stay for another day. What do you think?' Glenn asked her.

'I don't know. I'll just go along with whatever you guys decide. You go ahead, I'll stay on watch' Kat volunteered.

'You sure?' Glenn asked and Kat nodded in reply. Glenn gave a loud sigh. 'Are you okay? After everything that happened?'

'Yeah. I'm fine' replied Kat, giving him a false smile.

Glenn saw through this and placed his hand on her shoulder. 'Maybe running away wasn't the solution you wanted it to be.'

Kat's breath hitched as Glenn had got right to the heart of her problem. Glenn saw this and just patted her shoulder. 'They'll follow us and you can sort this out. Just give it time.' With his words of wisdom said, Glenn left to help formulate their plan. He left Kat to think through what he had said. He was right, running away hadn't solved her problems. She thought she was being strong by being on this mission, not letting Daryl be her weakness. Really, she was running away, taking the easy way out.

He returned only a few minutes later. 'Come on, we have a ride.'

*****

Said ride turned out to be a fire truck. They'd had some trouble setting off. The fire truck had moved a few feet before stopping. The air filter had been clogged with human remains. They had had to fight off some walkers that had been released from a building by the fire truck moving. Eugene had taken them down with the water, which was a badass move; it was just a shame that they had lost all of the water. They finally unclogged the engine and got on the road again.

They managed to get a few miles down the road before the clogged air filter forced them to stop again. Abraham was trying to fix it while everyone else stood around twiddling their thumbs.

Kat gagged when the overwhelming scent of rotting flesh hit her nose. That smell could only come from walkers. They couldn't see any walkers and if the smell was that strong, then there was a herd of them somewhere.

'Whatever's making that stench, it ain't nothin' nice. We're not stoppin'' said Abraham.

'Uh, we're stopped' pointed out Tara. Abraham completely ignored her and led them walking down the road.

They reached the top of the hill and Kat gasped at the sight. She quickly regretted it though when her lungs filled with the stench sodden air. She felt like she could taste it. For what seemed like miles in every direction ahead of them was the largest herd that Kat had ever seen. There looked to be thousands of them. There was no way through the roads ahead. They had no choice but to turn around and find another route.

Kat bit her lip at that thought. Her hope was now hinged on the group following them to Washington. If they detoured from their intended route would the group follow them? Would they find the herd and just turn back instead of finding another route to Washington? Kat shook her head. She desperately wanted them to just turn around at this point and head back to the church but she knew that Abraham would never allow it.

Glenn started walking back to the fire truck, everyone else following behind him. Everyone except Abraham who was stood alone, staring at the herd and mumbling to himself.

'Abraham, let's get out of here' Rosita called to him.

'Hold up' Abraham said to them all.

'We gotta go' Maggie said.

'No. No, we don't. They can't hear us and they can't see us. Not from here. We're fine' Abraham told them, although that wasn't really the point that they were making.

'Yeah, this is the definition of fine' Tara said sarcastically.

'We need the map. There's gotta be a detour' Glenn reasoned.

'I'm not doing it. We detoured and detoured and detoured from Houston to Georgia. I'm not playing that game anymore' Abraham rejected the idea but what other choice did they have?

'We are not going through this, okay? It isn't gonna happen' Glenn said firmly.

'You got a shitstorm behind door A and a storm of shit behind door B. If you're lucky, it's walkers or a shot-up truck. But sooner or later you get cornered. You wind up stayin' and you wind up killin'. We don't go back. We can't go back.'

'I'm not talking about going back. Just south a few miles' Glenn tried again.

'No' Abraham rejected.

'We already hit a full stop 'cause of an air filter compromised by innards. That will happen again' Eugene added.

'Then we'll hit 'em with the hose.'

'The tank is empty, Abraham' Rosita tried.

'If we floor it…'

'We still hit them, they still slow us down, and then they stop us' Glenn yelled.

'I'm not saying we just go straight.'

'That's the way the road goes' Maggie said.

'Can't we try to go the way we said on the map. The others need to be able to follow us' Kat said. She was hoping that Abraham had some kind of idea to get them through the herd. Surely he wasn't arguing his case on blind hope that they could power their way through.

'Whichever way we go, the others will follow us. They will find us' Maggie said to Kat with confidence. She then came closer and whispered, 'Daryl wouldn't just give up.'

'We can get through! I know it! And that means we are not going south, going around, or going back!' Abraham continued to yell.

'No. They're right' Rosita said more quietly. Rosita's agreement with them seemed to break Abraham. He stormed back towards the fire truck, grabbing Eugene by the arm and manhandling him back.

Everyone was yelling for Abraham to let go of Eugene but Kat saw red. When she saw the pain on Eugene's face she stormed forward. All she could see was how her father used to manhandle her. He would drag her around, usually before a beating. She stormed up to Abraham and banged her fist against his chest, trying to make him let go of Eugene or at least stop walking away. Abraham lashed out with his free hand, which contained his gun. Kat wasn't sure whether it was intentional but Abraham caught her with the butt of his gun and sent her sprawling to the ground.

Maggie rushed over to Kat to make sure that she was okay. One of her stitches had bust open when she had hit the ground. Luckily it was one of the smaller ones closer to her ear. She could survive without that stitch. She wiped the blood away from her face and stood up.

Everyone was trying to stop Abraham and chaos was occurring. Everyone stopped when Eugene screamed, 'I'm not a scientist! I'm not a scientist!'

Everyone fell deathly silent and everything stopped. 'I lied. I'm not a scientist. I don't know how to stop it. I'm not a scientist' Eugene said.

'You are a scientist. I've seen the things that you can do' Rosita tried to deny.

'I just know things' Eugene replied.

'You just... "know things"?' asked Glenn incredulously.

'I know I'm smarter than most people, I know I'm a very good liar, and I know I needed to get to DC' Eugene said.

'Why?' asked Maggie.

'Because I do believe that locale holds the strongest possibility for survival, and I wanted to survive. If I could cheat some people into taking me there, well, I just reasoned that I'd be doin' them a solid, too, considering the perilous state of the city of Houston, the state of everything' Eugene reasoned.

'People died trying to get you here' Rosita said, sounding on the verge of tears. It had been her and Abraham's mission for a while now and now they were finding out that it was all in vain. Abraham crouched in the road, the purpose taken out of his life seemed to make him deflate before their eyes.

'I'm aware of that… Stephanie, Warren, Pam, Rex, Roger, Josiah, Dirk, and Josephine. And Bob. You see, I lost my nerve as we grew closer, for I am a coward... I'm not a badass at all' Eugene said to Kat. Kat stared at Eugene in shock. They all felt betrayed. They had banded together for a mission that was based on complete bullshit. 'And the reality of getting to our destination and disclosing the truth of the matter became some truly frightening shit. I took it upon myself to slow our roll. Find time to finesse things so then when we got there... But at this moment, I fully realize there are no longer any agreeable options. I was screwed either way. I also lied about T. Brooks Ellis liking my hair. I do not know T. Brooks Ellis. But I did read one of his books, and he seemed like the type of guy that wouldn't blink twice at a Tennessee Top Hat. Again... I am smarter than you. Now, you may want to leave me here…' Eugene started saying to Abraham. He was cut off when Abraham sprang forward and started beating Eugene.

No one particularly liked Eugene at that moment but they all sprang to his defence. It was difficult to hold off the enraged Abraham and they didn't manage to stop him in time before Eugene collapsed face first on to the road. Rosita stepped between Abraham and Eugene, with her hand resting on her gun. This seemed to bring Abraham to his senses and he walked off, behind the fire truck and sank to his knees.

Everyone gathered around Eugene. They rolled him over onto his back and took in the injuries to his head. He had his eyes open but they closed slowly. He was still alive, just unconscious. With the beating that Abraham had given him, who knew how long it would take for him to come round. Their mission was well and truly over. Now they needed to decide which direction they were going to head in. Washington seemed unlikely at this point. Kat couldn't help but internally feel happy that she would probably be returning to her family soon.

*****

Michonne sat outside on the steps of the church on watch, when Gabriel had joined her. They had talked about Gabriel's past actions and how he regretted them. They heard a rustling from the bushes. Michonne indicated for Gabriel to go inside and fetch the others. She drew her katana and made her way towards the noise. Hopefully it would just be a walker that she could dispatch easily.

Michonne was taken by surprise when Daryl emerged from the bushes. She smiled at his return but this then sank when she realised that he was alone. 'Where's Carol?' she asked.

'Come on out' Daryl called over his shoulder. A boy, not Carol, emerged from the bushes. 'He's ok' Daryl reassured Michonne.

Michonne suddenly realised that Daryl had no idea what had happened over the last few days. She didn't really want to be the one to break it to him that they had been attacked and then half of their group had left, including Kat. He wasn't going to take that well at all.

Merle had returned from his hunting trip earlier in the day, carrying the meat from three deer in his backpack. He had gone batshit crazy when he learned that Kat had left. He blamed everyone else for not stopping her.

'Is everyone else inside' Daryl asked, peering round Michonne. 'I've got some stuff to tell them.'

'Daryl, there's things that have happened…' Michonne began but she was cut off when the others emerged from the church, weapons at the ready. They all stopped in shock when they saw Daryl.

Merle stepped forward first. 'Where the hell have you been?' he spat at Daryl and punched him square in the jaw.


	22. Chapter 21

'What the fuck man?' Daryl yelled, clutching his face where his brother had landed the punch.

'This is all your fault. Where. The hell. Were. You?' Merle repeated slowly, grabbing Daryl by the shirt and getting in his face.

'I was out there with Carol. We saw a car with a white cross on the back, like the one that took Beth. We took off after it. She's in a hospital in Atlanta. Carol's there as well. She got hurt. I came back to get you guys so we can get them both back' Daryl explained quickly. Merle released him and cursed under his breath. 'What's going on?' Daryl asked, looking between everyone's sombre expressions.

'You just took off. We didn't know what happened to you and Carol. Things happened while you were gone' Rick sighed, not looking forward to Daryl's reaction to the news.

'What things?' Daryl asked slowly. 'Where are the others?' He had noticed the missing people: Bob, Glenn, Maggie, Tara, Abraham, Rosita, Eugene and Kat.

'The people from Terminus came after us. They got Bob' Michonne said.

'Abraham didn't want to risk anything else happening to Eugene. They left. They took Glenn, Maggie, Tara and Kat with them' Rick finished.

Daryl shook his head, not quite understanding how half of their group could just up and leave. 'She just left?' he asked, almost to himself. Everyone else knew exactly what he meant though. How could Kat have just left him?

'Of course she left. The guy that she's in love with takes off with another woman! This is your fault' yelled Merle. He then turned and stormed back into the church. His brother was an absolute idiot. He loved Kat like a little sister. He goes away for a couple of days to get the group some food and his brother manages to monumentally screw up. He was also a little bit pissed at Kat. She left without even waiting for him to come back. He knew she would be hurt that Daryl had left with Carol, she was still quite insecure, but he would definitely be having a talk with her when the group caught up with the rest. Not only that, but Daryl had also lost Carol. Merle got on quite well with the sassy older woman. Now that her husband was dead, she had become quite feisty. They would banter back and forth; she could give as good as she would take.

Everyone started to follow Merle into the church, leaving Daryl alone for a moment. Daryl kicked the side of the church and cursed himself. He was so desperate to find Beth and right the fact that he had let her get taken, that he hadn't stopped to think about the fact that he was leaving with Carol without telling anyone. It was no wonder that Kat had left. He had to make it right.

He looked up when he heard someone clear their throat to get his attention. He looked up to see Tyreese standing there, no doubt waiting to give him a piece of his mind.

'She still loves you, you know' Tyreese said. 'She's hurting and needed to get away for a while. She'll forgive you. As long as you don't pull anything like this again. If you do, I'm warning you, you'll have me and Merle to deal with.'

Daryl nodded. He didn't know what to say to that so just remained quiet. Tyreese wandered back into the church leaving him alone. He'd abandoned Kat once before when he took off with Merle. Now he had done it again, although this time unintentionally. But now he was torn. He wanted to go after Kat now but he also knew that he had to get Beth and Carol back.

He went back into the church. This needed to be discussed by the whole group. 'We need to go after Beth and Carol' Daryl stated loudly.

'You abandoned her and your priority is Beth and Carol?' Merle questioned him, glaring at him.

'Hey' Rick said, getting in between the two brothers to prevent a fight. 'There isn't a choice. We know where Kat and the others are going. They're in a group, they'll be safe together. We need to rescue Beth and Carol as soon as possible. They're with hostiles. They are our priority. It isn't a choice.'

'Maybe I should go after them alone. Since no one else here seems to give a damn' Merle said, aiming the comment at Daryl. Rationally, Merle knew that he would be needed to help rescue Beth and Carol. He just wasn't happy about the way his little sister was being treated. He wanted her back with the rest of them, where he knew that he could protect her. He didn't trust Abraham, Rosita or Eugene. The sooner they went after them, the better.

'We'll need you with us' Rick said firmly. Merle gave a sharp nod, agreeing to go with them.

'I want to go after Kat as much as you do but we need to focus on getting Carol and Beth out first' Daryl said.

'Nice to know where your priorities lie' Merle spat at him.

*****

Kat sat on the floor with her back against the fire engine, next to Eugene. He was still unconscious. Maggie said that moving him could be dangerous. They could only sit and wait until he woke up. But how long could they stay there for? Abraham was almost catatonic, sat on his knees, staring off into the distance. No one felt particularly safe around him.

'Here' Tara said, handing her a half full water bottle.

'Thanks' Kat accepted it. She tore a strip off of her trousers and wet it with some of the water in the bottle and began to clean Eugene's face of blood.

'You know, you could do with some of that yourself' Tara said. 'You look like shit.'

'Don't sugar coat it' Kat joked sarcastically.

'Here' Tara tore a strip of her own shirt off and wet it with her own water. She cleaned the blood from the busted stitch on Kat's face. 'It's not too bad. You should survive without that stitch.'

'Thanks' Kat smiled.

'We need to go get some more water from the stream down the road. I just emptied the last from the fire engine to fill the bottles' Tara explained.

'I'll come with you' Kat said and stood to go help. She was hit by a wave of dizziness and swayed gently on her feet.

'Whoa! Maybe you should sit back down. You've lost quite a bit of blood over the last few days. You just stay here and look after Eugene. Maggie is staying as well' Tara said, with her hand on her arm, stopping her from swaying.

Kat nodded and sank back down to the floor. She watched as Tara, Glenn and Rosita head off to bring back more water.

She stared down at Eugene, wishing that he would wake up. She had no idea what to think of the man laid out in front of her. He had lied. He had given them all hope, pulled them away from the rest of their family on a complete lie. Now they had no hope and couldn't go back to the church until he woke up. If he did wake up. He could have some sort of brain injury from how hard he was hit by Abraham and the bang to his head when he landed on the floor. He might never wake up. Kat frowned; although he had lied to them, she wouldn't wish this on him. She just hoped that he would wake up soon.

'Staring at him like that won't make him wake up any faster' Maggie said softly, sitting down beside her.

'I just wish he would wake up so we can head back to the church' she sighed.

'You regret leaving' Maggie said. It wasn't a question.

'I was angry. I thought time and space would help…. It didn't' Kat sighed.

'As soon as he wakes up, we'll head back. No matter what the others choose to do. You, me, Glenn and Tara will head home' Maggie smiled.

'The church is home now?' Kat asked.

'No. Home is wherever our family is' Maggie replied.

*****

Kat frowned into the distance. She thought that the others should be back with the water by now. She wondered what was keeping them.

She was grateful for the shade provided by the ladder covered with the blankets which Maggie had set up to keep Eugene out of the sun after Kat had commented that he was too hot.

'I'm gonna take Abraham some water' Maggie commented before standing and disappearing around the side of the truck.

Kat continued to stare into the distance, hoping to catch some sight of the others returning. She was startled when she heard a quiet groan. Her first instinct was to draw her knife and look to the right; to the side of the road where walkers might be approaching. She was startled when the groan sounded again, slightly louder this time.

'Maggie!' she called when she realised that it was Eugene who was groaning. He was waking up.

'I'm coming!' replied Maggie, appearing next to Eugene.

'Take it easy' Kat said to Eugene, who was trying to sit up.

'Stay right there. Don't try to move. You're gonna be ok' Maggie reassured him.

*****

By the time the others had returned, Eugene was sitting up and was more coherent. The others brought back water and fish. Abraham seemed to be returning to normal now that Eugene was conscious.

They made a small fire and cooked the fish. It felt great to have a full stomach again. They had been getting low on food since the bus had caught fire.

'So should we start heading back to the church?' Glenn asked.

'I still firmly believe that Washington DC is our best option' Eugene said.

'Are you kidding? You lied to us but you still want to go to DC?' Rosita exclaimed.

'I calculated that we have our best chance of survival there' Eugene said rationally.

'Well, we're going back to the church' Kat indicated to Tara, Glenn, Maggie and herself. 'You're either coming with us or going on alone.'

'I'm coming with you' Rosita said.

'Abraham?' Glenn asked.

Abraham still looked rather zoned out. He just nodded in agreement. Eugene frowned but nodded. He knew that he couldn't go on alone.

They piled back into the fire engine that Abraham had managed to get working again. They were heading back to their family.

*****

Eugene was still not completely better and so had passed out again in the back of the fire engine. Abraham kept shooting him guilty looks every so often. They drove until the church came back into sight.

'Looks like they've had some trouble' Abraham commented. They could see Michonne, Gabriel and Carl with Judith on his back stood outside the church. Hands of walkers were reaching out through gaps in the broken doors of the church. 'Hold on tight.'

Abraham drove the engine straight through the front steps, keeping the walkers in the church with the fire engine as a blockade, like how they had found it. They all exited the fire engine and Kat went over to give Michonne, Carl and Judith hugs.

'You're back' Michonne smiled.

'Eugene lied. He can't stop it. Washington isn't the end' Glenn said and watched as Michonne's smile dropped.

'Where is everyone?' Kat asked.

'Daryl came back' Michonne said to Kat. She then walked over towards Maggie. 'He found Beth. Beth's alive. She's in a hospital in Atlanta. Some people have her, but the others went to get her back.'

Realisation dawned on Kat. Daryl had been feeling guilty about Beth ever since she had vanished. He felt like it was his fault that she had been taken, that he should have looked after her better. Of course he had taken off after her without a second thought. Kat ran her hands over her short hair. She wasn't sure what he would think about her taking off herself. She had let her insecurities about the close friendship between Daryl and Carol get the best of her. A guilty feeling twisted like a knot in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like that he had taken off but now she understood why.

'Do we know which one?' Maggie asked.

'Grady Memorial' Michonne replied and grinned as she watched Maggie's reaction. Maggie was laughing and crying, so happy that her sister had been found. She had given up hope that she would ever see Beth again.

'Oh, my God' Maggie gasped.

'Let's blow this joint, go save your sister' Tara announced and the others laughed.

*****

They pulled the fire engine up outside Grady Memorial hospital. They got out and had their weapons at the ready. They didn't know where the others would be. They walked through a camp, where most of the walkers had been taken out. One stray walker wandered into their path and Glenn took it down with his knife. Another came out of a tent and Michonne took it down.

Kat paused when she saw someone coming out of the hospital. She smiled when she saw it was Rick but her smile dropped when she saw him shaking his head. He looked on the verge of tears. The others came out behind him, looking solemn.

Kat heard a clatter of Maggie dropping her gun. Maggie dropped to her knees and began screaming. As Tyreese and Carol moved to the side, Kat saw what had caused that reaction. Daryl was carrying a lifeless Beth out of the hospital. He had tears streaming down his cheeks, not even bothering to try and contain him emotions.

Tyreese came over and hugged Kat. 'I'm glad you're ok and that you're here. I'm not sure what he would have done…' Ty trailed off. He didn't dare imagine how Daryl would have reacted losing Beth and if something had happened to Kat.

'What happened?' asked Kat, swiping stray tears from her cheeks.

'We took a couple of police officers from the hospital hostage to trade for Carol and Beth. We got Carol back fine but once we did the trade for Beth, they wanted Noah back' Tyreese explained, indicating to a young man stood to the side, looking out of place. 'Beth confronted the leader and stabbed her with some scissors. She was shot in the head point blank. There was nothing anyone could do. Daryl took the leader out.'

Kat looked over as Daryl sank to his knees and placed Beth on the ground. As if the weight of carrying the girl was just too much for him. He and Maggie wept openly. Glenn was comforting Maggie and Kat knew that Daryl would need her. She approached him slowly and knelt beside him. She placed a hand on his arm gently.

His head snapped around to face her. Different emotions played across his face for a moment: shock, relief, joy but finally settled on anger.

'Don't touch me' he muttered, swiping Kat's hand away from him. Kat was taken aback by his response.

Carol saw this response and pulled Kat away gently. 'Don't take it personally, he's just in shock' she whispered.

'I'm glad you're ok… mostly' Kat said with a smile but taking in Carol's injuries from where the car had hit her.

'I'm glad you're ok too… mostly' Carol smiled back, running her hand just below where Kat had the stitches in the side of her face. They both stood awkwardly for a moment, not quite sure what to say, both in shock over Beth's death. Carol reached out and pulled Kat into a motherly hug and Kat let the floodgates open and she wept. She wept for Beth, for Daryl and for everything she had been through in the last few days.


	23. Chapter 22

Kat wrapped her arms around herself as some kind of comfort. It had been a difficult few days for everyone. They had driven out of Atlanta in a van and a car. They managed to find somewhere to stop for a couple of days, off the side of a road. They had a funeral for Beth and buried her beneath a willow tree. She was so young and just seemed to emanate happiness, no matter the situation. Everyone felt her loss but particularly Maggie, Noah and Daryl.

Daryl hadn't spoken to Kat since he'd told her to not touch him. Every time she tried to start some kind of conversation, he grunted and walked away. Kat didn't know what to do. She didn't know whether this was just because he was mourning the loss of Beth or whether he had changed his mind about the two of them. At first she had been angry about his reaction but now she just felt resigned.

Merle was pissed at his brother. He was taking his role as Kat's older brother very seriously. When he had come over to Kat after the hospital, he had wrapped her in a firm hug before clipping her over the head.

'Oww, what the hell was that for?' asked Kat.

'For running off to Washington without me' Merle replied with a glare.

'I didn't think you'd want to leave with Daryl still missing' Kat replied, looking slightly guilty.

'Yeah. Well, you thought wrong' Merle said. He then wrapped her in another hug.

Merle had then seen how Daryl had been treating her over the past few days. He had tried to have words with his brother but Daryl was still mourning and had just sneered at his brother in reply and then walked off. Merle was pissed, no one was going to treat his little sister that way, not even his own brother. Merle had been sticking to Kat's side and trying to distract her from his jackass of a brother.

'It was secure. It has a wall, homes, 20 people. Beth wanted to go with him. She wanted to get him there. It's a long trip, but if it works out, it's the last long trip we have to make' Rick announced to them all. He had called a group gathering and they were discussing about heading to Richmond, Virginia to take Noah back to his family and maybe looking at settling down with his community.

'And what if it isn't around anymore?' asked Glenn.

'Then we keep going' replied Rick.

'Then we find a new place' confirmed Michonne.

*****

The entire group made the trip to near Richmond. It was a 500 mile journey but they all made it with relatively few hazards and stops along the way. They had stopped close to Richmond and had another group meeting.

'We just need a group to take the car and check this place out. That way if we run into trouble, we're not risking the whole group. I'm going and obviously so is Noah. Who's in?' Rick asked.

'I'm in' Michonne said immediately.

'Me too' said Glenn.

'I'll go' said Tyreese, shocking a few people who thought he'd rather stay behind.

There was silence for a moment and Rick thought that it was over. 'Alright…' Rick began but was interrupted.

'I'm going too' volunteered Kat. She'd thought that Daryl might volunteer and she didn't want to be stuck in a car with him. He hadn't volunteered though, so she had. Rick paused a moment before nodding in agreement, he thought back to how good Kat had been with connecting with the people from Woodbury. If Noah's people had any doubts about accepting them into the community, Kat would be good for negotiations.

'If she's going, I'm going' Merle announced. Rick froze, unsure how to say no to Merle. Since Daryl had started ignoring Kat, Merle had become seriously protective of Kat, barely letting her out of his sight. Kat would make a good impression on any new community but Merle… not so much.

Kat took in Rick's unsure expression and she turned to Merle. 'You should stay here. We don't want to take all of our best fighters to Richmond and leave everyone here at a disadvantage' Kat whispered to him. Merle nodded, he knew that it wasn't the real reason behind him being left behind but he agreed reluctantly nonetheless.

'Alright, we should leave as soon as possible. The sooner we leave, the sooner we might have somewhere to stay' Rick said. It didn't take long for a few bits of provisions to be placed in the trunk of the car.

'You better stay out of trouble' Merle warned Kat as she said a few goodbyes.

'I will' she smiled softly. She reached up and kissed Merle on the cheek. He cuffed her gently around the ear with a smirk.

She said goodbye to everyone else before reaching Daryl. 'Bye Daryl' she said softly.

'Whatever' he grunted and walked away. She shook her head angrily, trying to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes. She turned her back on the man she still loved and got into the very back of the car with Glenn.

*****

They'd been driving for a while now. The car was stuffy and Kat couldn't wait until they reached their destination so she could get out of the car.

'Hey, Carol' Rick said into the radio.

'I'm here' replied Carol's voice on the other end.

'We're halfway there. Just wanted to check the range' Rick said.

'Everybody's holding tight. We've made it 500 miles. Maybe this can be the easy part' Carol replied hopefully.

'Got to think we're due. Give us 20 minutes to check in' Rick said.

'We don't hear from you, we'll come looking' Carol confirmed.

'Copy that' Rick said before placing the radio back in his lap. Noah and Ty were having a conversation up front but Kat tuned it out. She was sweltering in the car. She was starting to sweat and she pulled her shirt away from her skin where it was starting to stick to her.

'Hey Ty! Can you open a window? I'm roasting back here' called Kat.

'Sure' he called back, winding the window down. Kat sighed as the cool breeze hit her, giving her some relief.

'You're hot?' Glenn asked her.

'You're not?' Kat asked incredulously. She was sweltering back there.

'Let's pull into the woods. We'll go on foot. Stay off the road' Rick instructed Ty.

'We don't need to' Noah said, confused why Rick was treating his people like they might be hostile.

'Just in case' Rick said. Ty steered the car off the road and pulled up near two cars that had been in a crash. Walkers were still trapped inside the cars. 'This is good. Through the trees, it might just look like part of the wreck.'

'It's this way' said Noah and the five of them followed him through the woods.

'Your people do this?' asked Michonne, signalling to the trees that had wire strung between them.

'Wanted to. They must have' Noah replied. It finally seemed to be sinking in with him how long he had actually been away. They climbed between the wires and headed on towards the community.

'They have spotters? Snipers?' Rick asked Noah.

'We built a perch on a truck. Sometimes it's out front' Noah replied.

'Not today' Glenn confirmed as they reached the edge of the trees and the communities walls and gates came into few. No truck in sight. They walked out onto the road and approached the community. The gates were closed, no one seemed to be on as lookout. Kat didn't feel good about this place and as she glanced around at the others, she knew they felt the same way too.

Noah banged on the gates and then pressed his ear to them. 'You hear that?' he asked.

'Just wait' said Glenn. Glenn climbed the fence so that he could see over the top. His expression dropped before he looked down at them all and shook his head. There was no community for Noah to return to.

They all climbed the fence and dropped down the other side. Something terrible had happened to this community. Some of the houses were burnt. There were bodies on the street. Some were burnt, some had just been slaughtered and others had been left to turn into walkers.

Noah, despite his injured leg, managed to hobble at a fast pace into the middle of the crossroads where he took in the full extent of the devastation to his home. He collapsed to the ground and started sobbing. Kat's heart hurt at the pain this young man was going through. She fell to her knees beside him and pulled him into a hug. He didn't know her that well but in that moment he needed the comfort and he clung to her desperately.

Kat took in a message on the wall, written in white spray paint: 'Wolves not far'. What the hell had happened here?

'Come on. It's all right. You're gonna be with us now' Tyreese said to Noah. They weren't going to leave him alone.

'I'm sorry, Noah. I truly am. We should see if there's anything we can use and head back' Rick said, crouching down next to Noah.

'Then what?' asked Michonne. She seemed to be taking this harder than expected. She had pinned her hopes on this being a place that they could stay. 'They see us.' She went off to take down the walkers that had spotted them.

'We can make a quick sweep' Glenn agreed.

'We'll stay with him' Ty said, indicating to him and Kat. Rick nodded and stood as the others took off to do their sweep.

'Carol, you copy?' Rick asked into the radio.

'We're here' Carol replied.

'We made it. It's gone.'

*****

Noah finally stopped clinging to Kat after a while. She sat on the ground with him until he stopped crying, having run out of tears. Kat stood and stretched out her legs. Ty took over in the attempt to comfort Noah.

'I wanted to die for what I lost. Who I had lost. I stepped out into a crowd of those things just trying to... take it all out on them until they took me. Put them all in front of me so I didn't see anything. But I just kept going. And then later, I was there for Judith when she needed me. I saved her. I brought her back to her dad. I got to know Kat, my best friend. I've been there for her too. And that wouldn't have happened if I had just given up... if I hadn't chosen to live. Noah. Noah. This isn't the end' Tyreese finished. Noah looked up at him and then stood. 'There you go. That's right.' Kat smiled at the young man, he was strong enough to go on.

But then he started to limp forward and then took off at a run. 'Noah. Noah. Noah!' both Kat and Ty yelled as they ran after him. They shouted in muted voices, trying not to attract the attention of any walkers that might still be about. They couldn't believe how fast this guy could run even with his injured leg.

Noah managed to run to a house before Kat and Ty caught up with him. 'This is my house' said Noah.

'You don't want to go in there' Ty sighed.

'Yes, I do. Let me see it.'

'Maybe we should let him Ty' Kat sighed. Maybe it could give him closure. He'd never be able to move on with his life if he thought his family might still be alive. Maybe, by some amazing chance, they hadn't been here when this slaughter happened. Maybe they had got away.

'Me first' Ty agreed and drew his knife before heading into the house. Ty banged on the side of the house but no walkers came out. So far, so good. The house had been ransacked just like the others and everything was a mess. Almost as soon as they walked through the door, Kat knew this story wasn't going to have a happy ending. A woman lay on the living room floor, her head bashed in. Noah stared in horror at his mother before moving over and covering her with a blanket. He then began whispering to his mother and Kat felt like she was intruding on a private moment.

'I'm gonna check the rest of the house' Kat said. Ty nodded and followed her. Noah was safe in the living room for now.

They could see that at the end of the hall was a closed door, that they could hear a walker moving around behind. They both silently agreed to leave that door alone. Ty opened a door and what went into what had been Noah's mother's room.

Kat continued down the hall and into a young boy's room. There was a dead boy on the bed. She looked at the photos pinned to the wall. Twin boys, some of the pictures included Noah, his brothers. One was lying dead in the bed and she assumed the other was the walker trapped down the hall. She gazed at the photos in sadness but was hit with a wave of dizziness. She brought one hand to her head and the other she placed against the wall to steady herself as she swayed from side to side.

She heard a rustle behind her but assumed it was Ty coming to check on her. She was pushed to the side where she fell against the wall and slid to the ground next to the bed. Everything happened so fast and she was still trying to recover from her dizzy spell.

The rustle behind her hadn't been Ty, it had been a walker. The other twin. The walker trapped in the room at the end of the hall was someone else. The walker had been about to bite her when Ty pushed her clear, getting a bite on the arm. Noah had appeared at that point and had stabbed his brother through the head with a model plane.

'You're okay. Just hold on. I'll get them. I'll get- I'll get them' was the last thing that Kat heard before she passed out.

*****

'Kat!'

Kat heard a yell of her name, break through the fog in her head. She hurt and everything was so hot. Why was it so hot?

'Kat!'

That yell again. That voice was familiar. Tyreese. A shot of fear coursed through her system. Why was she scared? Tyreese. Tyreese had been hurt. He'd been bitten!

She pushed the fog aside and fought for consciousness. She opened her eyes to find a walker had Ty pinned to the wall. She used the wall and managed to stagger upright. She pulled the knife from her belt and stabbed the walker in the head. The walker dropped and both Ty and Kat dropped to the floor.

They both caught their breath and then Ty turned to her. 'Are you ok?'

'Shouldn't I be asking you that?' Kat said incredulously. 'Your arm. Oh god, your arm.' Kat began to sob as she took in the bites on Ty's arm.

'There isn't anything you can do for me now. It's too late' Tyreese said with a small smile, resigned to his fate. 'What's going on with you?' Ty reached over and pulled the bandage that was still covering the cut on her face. He took a sharp breath as he uncovered the wound. The wound was swollen, pussy and had red streaks coming away from the wound. 'It's infected. You need antibiotics for this. Why didn't you say anything?'

'I didn't know. I didn't feel ill until the car. I just thought I was hot in the car. It must be a fever' Kat replied. Although she wasn't too surprised that it had ended up infected, with it reopening after Abraham had hit her. 'You shouldn't be worrying about me.'

'Kat… I'm pretty sure only one of us is gonna make it out of this alive. I'm sure as hell gonna make sure it's you' Ty smiled. He gently pulled Kat closer with his good arm. She cuddled up against her best friend. She cried. What was she going to do without him? This was all her fault. If she hadn't been there, then he wouldn't have been bitten. 'The others will be here soon' Ty comforted her. She felt even worse. She should be comforting him but here in his last moments, her best friend was still putting her needs first.

*****

Kat tried to make herself stay alert as they both waited for the others. Ty was starting to give into the fever. He seemed to be looking around the room at things, at things that she couldn't see. Noah was taking too long. What if something had happened to him? Would Ty die here next to her?

'In here!' she heard Noah yell. They were finally back.

'Ty! Hey! They're here. Ty, look at me!' Kat said, running her hands over Ty's face. He couldn't seem to concentrate on her. 'He's been bit on the arm' Kat informed the group as they piled into the small room.

Rick reached forward and pulled Ty's arm out. Glenn pulled Kat out of the way and braced Ty against the wall. Michonne then swung her katana down, taking Ty's arm off at the elbow. Kat cried; she knew that it had been too long since the bite. Taking his arm off was going to do nothing but cause him pain during his last moments. Ty's screams pierced the air and made Kat cry harder.

'We need to get out of here. We need to get Ty back to camp. His screams will have attracted walkers' Rick ordered them. He and Glenn reached down and pulled Ty up and out of the room. Somehow the man was managing to stay upright.

Kat struggled to her feet using the wall to brace herself. 'Are you ok?' Michonne asked, concerned. She wondered whether the young woman had been bit as well.

'The cut on my head's infected. I'm dizzy' Kat broke off. 'It's all my fault. He got bit because of me.'

'It's not your fault' Michonne said with certainty. 'Come on, let's get you out of here.' Michonne helped Kat out of the house and down the street. Noah led them to a side exit. It was padlocked with a chain and they could see a group of walkers reaching through the gate to get to them.

'Can you stand alone?' Michonne asked Kat. Kat nodded in reply and drew her knife.

Ty was left with Noah, Kat was standing slightly in front of them. She would be able to take down any stray walkers that got too close. Glenn managed to use a baseball bat to break the padlock and Rick, Glenn and Michonne took down the walkers on the other side of the gate with relative ease.

Somehow they managed to get Ty back through the forest for the most part with him on his feet. He collapsed at one point and so Noah, Michonne, Glenn and Rick ended up carrying him the rest of the way, Kat stumbling along behind them.

They managed to get Ty into the car and then they all piled in, Kat next to Ty. Rick sped off back to the camp as fast as he could. He'd warned Daryl on the radio that Ty had been bit.

Ty was staring out of the window and into the distance. 'Turn it off' he murmured.

'Turn what off, Ty?' Kat asked softly.

'When our friend Jim got bit, he came in and out of hallucinations. It's not looking good Kat' Glenn said to her gently.

'Ty, Ty! Look at me. You have to hold on' Kat called to him, trying to get him to focus on her.

'Kat?' he asked softly, the fog seeming to clear from his mind for a moment as he took in his best friend who was weeping softly at his side.

'Ty' she sighed in relief. 'You have to hold on. We'll be back at camp soon. You'll be fine.'

Ty smiled at her gently. He knew she was lying, his time was up. He reached up and wiped some of the tears off of her cheeks that were almost instantly replaced by new ones. 'Hey. This isn't your fault' Ty reassured her, knowing full well she blamed herself. 'It's just my time. If I could stop it being your time to go as well in the process, then even better. I'll be with Karen soon.'

Kat cried harder. She knew her best friend was saying goodbye. The way he was describing it sounded almost peaceful. How could she begrudge him that peace and ask him to stay? He turned and stared out of the window again and Kat thought he had disappeared back into his own mind. He surprised her when he turned back to her.

'Daryl loves you, you know. He's just scared. You have to live and love for the both of us now' Ty said, his voice getting weaker and weaker. Kat knew that this was it. 'Don't give up' he almost whispered. 'Promise me… promise… me…'

'I promise' Kat whispered back, clinging to her best friend even though he had gone now. She cried hysterically as Rick pulled the car over. They dragged Ty from the car and laid him down on the road. Kat scrambled from the car and fell to her knees next to him, crying into his chest.

'Kat, you know what we need to do. Come away' said Michonne gently, trying to pull Kat away from her best friend's body.

The shock finally hit Kat and she went still, her tears running dry. The full force of her infection hit her and she swayed side to side. She could hear voices calling her name in concern around her but she didn't have the energy to reply. All she could think of was that Tyreese looked so peaceful. Maybe it was for the best that she joined him was her last thought as she fell forward and collapsed onto the road at his side.


	24. Chapter 23

They made it back to where they had left the rest of the group with Tyreese's body and an unconscious Kat in the back. The group were waiting anxiously for their return after they had been alerted to the danger on the radio.

'Where's Ty?' Sasha asked immediately, she had been worrying about her brother ever since she had heard he had been bit. She wasn't sure whether she could take the loss of her brother so soon after losing Bob.

'We cut his arm off… but we didn't do it fast enough' Rick said gently. There was no easy way to break a death to a loved one. 'He didn't make it.'

Sasha began sobbing and fell to her knees. Glenn and Michonne pulled Ty's body, wrapped in a white sheet, from the back of the car. Sasha's wailing increased.

'Where's Kat?' Merle asked. Merle knew that she would have taken Ty's death hard and wanted to comfort her. But he then looked suspiciously at everyone coming back from the mission. Glenn, Michonne, Rick and Noah had all emerged from the car but there was no sign of Kat yet. 'Where is she?'

'She…' Rick began but broke off when a tortured yell came from behind Merle.

The tortured sound had come from Daryl as he saw Glenn and Michonne pull Kat out of the back of the car. Daryl rushed over to her, cradling her in his arms. He couldn't believe she was gone. She was gone and he had been such a jackass to her. He was so damn scared of losing her that he pushed her away, hoping to protect himself from the pain. It hadn't worked. He now felt guilt alongside all his pain, making him feel so much worse. He loved her, he loved her and he had never got the chance to tell her.

'Daryl, she's just unconscious. She needs antibiotics. The wound on her head is badly infected' Rick said gently.

'We have the last of the antibiotics that Glenn managed to take from the prison' Carol said before rushing off to find them.

'She's alive?' Daryl asked incredulously. He couldn't believe his luck. He held her close against his chest and promised to himself that if they both made it through this, then he would tell her. He would throw himself at her mercy and hope that she would forgive him.

'Daryl, you need to let her go. Carol and Rosita will tend to her' Glenn said. Daryl only reluctantly let her go and let the two women try to patch her up. Daryl hovered until they seemed to be done.

'She's gonna be ok' Carol reassured him.

'Physically at least' Michonne muttered under her breath.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Daryl snapped.

'She took losing Ty very hard. She was already pretty fragile considering…' replied Glenn.

'Considering what?' Daryl urged him to continue.

'Considering you've consistently been a dick to her' Merle butted in bluntly.

'She didn't take you pulling away from her too well' confirmed Rick, putting it slightly more politely.

But Merle wasn't finished yet. 'I'm giving you one last chance with her. You hurt her again and I'll beat some sense into you and then make sure you never get near her again. You hear me brother?' Merle asked threateningly.

'If I hurt her again, I'll let you' Daryl swore.

*****

Kat groaned as she started to regain consciousness. Her head hurt like a bitch.

'Try not to move too much' said Carol's voice from somewhere near her.

Kat forced her eyes open and squinted at how bright it was. She took in her surroundings. She was in the van. They were driving.

'Where are we?' asked Kat, her voice raspy due to how dry her throat was.

'The camp we were at… we scouted the area. There was no food or water. We've had to move on. We're heading to Washington. We still think it's our best chance for finding other survivors' Carol explained. Kat nodded, still disorientated. 'The antibiotics are still working their way through your system. You should get some more rest.' Kat nodded and allowed her eyes to drift close again.

*****

Voices filtered through Kat's mind as she once again started to regain consciousness.

'What the hell are we supposed to do with Kat, huh?' she heard Daryl saying harshly.

'Look, I don't have all the answers. All I know is that we're nearly out of food, water and gas. We can't just sit here hoping a miracle will provide all three' she heard Rick reply with a sigh.

She opened her eyes and saw that she had been left inside the van, everyone else was stood outside, looking unsure about what was going to happen.

Kat tested moving her body slowly. Her head still stung and she was still weak but she could tell that she was on the mend. She scooted closer to the door, where Glenn was stood next to it.

'What's going on?' she whispered to Glenn, not wanting to disturb what was happening.

'Kat!' yelled Glenn in surprise. Everyone's eyes immediately sought her out.

'There you go! Problem solved! Let's start walking' Abraham chimed in cheerfully.

'She's still weak. She won't make it to Washington, not without us having any supplies' Carol glared at Abraham.

'Maybe we can carry her?' Merle suggested.

'Hey. I'm right here. Stop talking about me like I'm not' Kat said angrily. 'I'm feeling a lot better. I think I can walk for now.'

'You're too weak. You'll never make it to Washington' Daryl interjected. Kat made eye contact with him and then looked down. She wasn't sure where she stood with Daryl at the moment but he seemed very concerned. He seemed to be begging her to understand with his eyes.

'I never said I would make it all the way to Washington. But we don't know what we'll find between here and there. I can walk on my own for now. If I can't continue… well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'

Rick nodded. 'If you think you're ok, then we'll move out.'

That was how Kat found herself walking down the road to Washington, sandwiched in between Merle and Daryl who seemed to have appointed themselves the positions as her guardians. They made sure she didn't fall behind and one of them seemed to be asking if she was ok every couple of minutes. She appreciated their concern but they were starting to drive her mad.

*****

They seemed to walk for forever. There was no food or water anywhere. The days just seemed to be getting hotter. Everyone was getting weaker with limited food and water. They just had to trudge down the road and hope for a miracle.

Daryl had moved forward to talk to Rick. Kat just focused on putting one foot in front of another, she had to keep going for as long as possible. Daryl, although walking by her side for most of the journey hadn't said a word to Kat.

'I'm gonna head out. See what I can find' Daryl announced.

'Hey, don't be too long' said Rick.

'I'll go with you' Carol volunteered.

'I got it' said Daryl, not wanting company.

'You gonna stop me?' Carol smirked. They then both walked off into the trees. Kat watched until they were out of sight and then put her gaze back onto the road under her feet. Once again, Daryl and Carol going off together.

Merle took in Kat's dejected expression. 'That boy is touched in the head. Jackass' Merle muttered under his breath.

*****

Daryl and Carol walked for a while in silence. Daryl was trying to pick up any hint of any animals that they could maybe hunt. They desperately needed the food but there was no signs of any animals. At least he got some time away from the group. The silence with Kat was killing him. He knew he was in the wrong but he had no idea how to approach her. He wasn't good at apologizing.

'Anything?' asked Carol.

'No, it's too dry. There ain't nothing here.'

'Maybe we should start back.'

'You go.' Daryl just needed a bit more time away from the group to try to clear his head. Everything with Kat and Beth just seemed to swirling in his mind.

'I think she saved my life. She saved your life, too, right?' Carol asked. She then handed him a knife in a sheath. 'It was hers. We're not dead. That's what you said. You're not dead. I know you. We're different. I can't let myself- But you... I know you. You have to let yourself feel it. You will. Beth wouldn't want you closing yourself off like this. From the rest of the group. From Kat. You're hurting her. I know you're scared. You're scared of letting her close after you thought she was dead and now after what has happened with Beth. But you need to let yourself feel it. You love her and being like this is only hurting the both of you.' Carol leant up and gave Daryl a motherly kiss on the forehead before turning around and heading back to the rest of the group.

Carol was right. He was hurting both himself and Kat. He needed to feel again.

*****

The rest of the group had continued walking without Daryl and Carol. Kat was struggling to keep up with the rest of the group and kept falling behind slightly. Sasha had slowed down and walked beside her.

'You were with Ty when he died?' she asked Kat.

'Yeah. He seemed at peace. He said it was his time and that he was going to be with Karen' Kat said, tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of his words. 'It's all my fault.'

'What?' asked Sasha sharply.

'He was protecting me. He stopped the walker getting to me' Kat replied sadly. She looked up and saw the fire in Sasha's eyes. For a moment she was scared of the woman in front of her.

'Everything ok?' asked Merle, appearing by Kat's side. He had seen the tension between the women and wasn't going to allow anything to escalate.

No one replied to his question, both women just staring at one another. Sasha glared at Kat before storming off. Kat continued walking, staring at her feet. Sasha would hate her now but she couldn't blame her.

They stopped to take care of the small herd that was forming behind them. Kat knew she was too weak to help so she had gone ahead with the others that hadn't helped. Sasha had gone off script on the plan and had started taking out her anger on the walkers. It was Kat's fault, she knew that she needed to tell Sasha at some point but maybe now wasn't the best time. Daryl and Carol had appeared half way through the attack and had helped out. They had managed to beat the herd quite easily despite not following the plan.

While the group was waiting, Noah approached Kat sheepishly.

'I want to say sorry. Everything that happened with you and Ty… It's my fault. If I hadn't run off into my house, none of this would have happened.'

'It wasn't your fault. My head would still have gotten infected. We could still have been attacked out in the street. We don't know what would have happened. Don't blame yourself. Ty died protecting me and that's on me.' Kat couldn't let something like this sit on Noah's conscience.

'I'm sorry. I don't mean to eavesdrop' interrupted Gabriel. 'From what little I know of Tyreese, I think he was happy to have died protecting his family. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was just the way things had to go. His death shouldn't sit on the conscience of either of you.' Kat didn't know the priest well but she smiled at him. Maybe he was right. After all, Ty was at peace now. He didn't have to deal with the hell that this new world had become.

*****

The walking continued endlessly. The heat never let up and there was no food or water for them anywhere. They weren't going to make it too much longer unless they found some supplies.

'Dad, look' said Carl, pointing out some cars on the road. Hopefully there would be supplies in them. All they found was alcohol though and that would only make them more dehydrated. They stopped on the road. Kat was glad, she wasn't sure she could walk much further.

They'd been sat on the road when three dogs appeared from the undergrowth. They all wore collars, obviously having been someone's pets. Since the world had gone to shit they had turned feral. They looked as though they were going to attack when Sasha shot them all. As awful as they felt, they all ate the dogs, needing the food.

They rested there the night and then set off again. Merle and Daryl still flanking Kat as they walked. Glenn came over and passed them a little of the remaining water.

'Daryl' prompted Glenn, trying to get him to take the water bottle.

'No, I'm all right.'

'Daryl.'

'Don't.'

'Hey, we can make it together. But we can only make it together' Glenn tried to persuade him. He still refused the water and so Glenn gave up and went back to walk with Maggie.

'Tell them I went looking for water' Daryl said to Abraham, Merle and Carol. 'You wanna come?' Daryl asked Kat. He stared at Kat and reached out his hand to her, hoping she would take it.

'She's not gonna make it far through the forest' Merle protested. Kat was still weak and could do without his brother dragging her through a forest.

'I'll be fine. We won't go too far' Kat told Merle. She reached her hand out and Daryl clasped it tightly in his. He pulled her gently into the forest and out of sight of the rest of the group.

The two of them walked hand in hand until they reached a clearing with a barn at the end of the clearing. Daryl pulled Kat over to a tree and pulled them both to the ground. He lit a cigarette and began to smoke. Kat sat in silence, she knew that Daryl had brought her out here for a reason and she just had to wait for him to open up. His eyes were filled with an unknown emotion and he opened his mouth a few times to say something but nothing came out.

He seemed to get more and more frustrated as the silence stretched on. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and pressed it against his left hand, just above his thumb.

'Daryl!' yelled Kat, immediately removing the cigarette from his hand and threw it out of his reach.

'I need to feel something!' he yelled back at her. He stared at her in desperation for a moment before beginning to cry. She pulled him towards her and just held him as he cried into her neck. He was the type of person to bottle up his emotions; he felt the need to remain strong for everyone else. He just needed to release everything and she was so glad that he felt he could be weak around her. She just held him in silence, stroking his hair every so often, until he had run out of tears.

He pulled away and swiped away the remaining tears. 'I'm sorry.'

'Daryl, you don't have to be strong for me.' Kat stroked his cheek, making him look her in the eyes.

'It's just… after the prison… I thought you were dead. I thought everyone was dead. But I had to be strong for Beth. I promised myself I'd look after her. I knew that's what ya would have wanted. But I failed. I failed ya both.'

'You didn't fail either of us. It's just the way shit happens in this new world. There was nothing you could have done to stop any of it.'

Daryl pulled her forward into his arms and held her tightly as though afraid she was going to disappear. 'I'm so sorry for how I treated you after Beth died.' He could feel Kat tense in his arms. This was what had been bothering her the most. She needed to know where they both stood now. 'I felt like I'd failed you both and I couldn't bring myself to see the disappointment in your eyes. I'm terrified of losing ya. I thought I'd lost ya once and I don't think I could bear it if I lost ya again. So I tried to distance myself, hoping it would help. I nearly lost you anyway. When they pulled ya out of that car and I thought you were dead… it was awful. It felt like the bottom fell out of my world. I've been such a jackass to ya. Please tell me I haven't lost you for good. I ain't good with apologies but please tell me you'll forgive me.'

'Daryl…' Kat began with a sigh. She felt Daryl tense around her, afraid she would reject him now. 'I can't say everything is now perfect between us. You've abandoned me twice. Once when you went off with Merle, not intending to come back. Then with Carol. I understand now why you had to go off without telling anyone but… I thought you'd just left with Carol. The two of you are so close and I realised that after you left with Merle… I've just been waiting for it to happen again. I don't trust you not to just disappear again.'

'You think I'd leave ya after I'd just got you back? Unless I can't help it, I'm not gonna leave you again. I promise' Daryl stared intensely into her eyes, like he was trying to read her mind. 'I love you.' He announced this and then pushed her back against the tree and kissed her hard. The moment seemed to stretch on endlessly as their lips crashed together. They let out all of their pent up emotions. Eventually Daryl pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, stroking her hair softly.

'I don't expect you to say it back. I know you don't trust me yet and you have every reason not to. I just needed to tell ya. I needed to feel it. I needed you to know. I'm gonna prove to ya that I'm worthy of it and when you're ready I hope you'll say it back' Daryl whispered to her gently.

Kat reached up and gave him a soft kiss. 'I just need a bit more time.'

'Come on. We should head back.' Daryl said and they headed back to the group hand in hand, the tension between them cleared.

*****

Kat and Daryl managed to catch up to the group further down the road. Kat was glad to see that the group wasn't travelling any further, they were just stood on the road. She was getting weaker and weaker and wasn't sure whether she would make it much further. She was dehydrated; she needed food and water to be able to continue on.

Rick saw the two of them approaching and nodded to a group of water bottles and cartons piled in the road. Kat gulped at the sight of the water, her body craving what it needed. Rick handed Daryl a piece of paper which read: 'From a Friend'. The group all had their weapons ready, looking for anyone who might be watching or following them.

'What else are we gonna do?' Tara asked.

'Not this. We don't know who left it' Rick said firmly.

'If that's a trap, we already happen to be in it. But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend' Eugene said hopefully, staring at the water with longing.

'What if it isn't? They put something in it?' Carol pointed out.

Eugene rushed forward and grabbed a bottle.

'What are you doing, dude?' Tara asked.

'Quality assurance' he replied. He managed to get the top off but it was knocked out of his hand by Abraham before he managed to drink out of it.

'We can't' said Rick.

'Let me do it' said Kat.

'No!' snapped Daryl.

'I've been dehydrated since my fever broke. I'm not gonna be able to go on much longer without water. Way that I see it: I carry on, I die; I drink the water and it's poisoned, I die. If it's just water from a friend; I live. I've got nothing to lose' Kat said gently.

Kat picked up a bottle of water and took off the top. She was stopped by Daryl placing a hand over hers. He stared at her, wracked with indecision. He didn't want her to do this. Daryl looked down and froze when he saw a drop of water on the back of his hand. Everyone then looked up at the sky and it started to rain. Everyone began to smile and laugh, the rain cooling them and quenching their thirst as they opened their mouths and drank the rain. The group began to get any containers out of their bags to catch the rain in.

Daryl took the water bottle from Kat's hands and threw it into the woods. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in a circle. Kat laughed and looked down at the man who loved her. For a moment, everything was good.


	25. Chapter 24

Kat tipped her head back and laughed as the rain washed over her. She pulled out an empty water bottle that she had been carrying, letting it fill up with rain before gulping it down. Her body was relieved at getting the water it so desperately needed.

The smiles and laughter died down once the thunder started. It would be dangerous for them to be out on the open road during the storm. They could get ill and the thunder would rile up the walkers. They needed shelter and fast.

'Let's keep moving' yelled Rick.

'There's a barn' Daryl yelled back, indicating the direction he and Kat had been. They all began to run towards the barn, anxious to get some shelter. They all piled under the eaves of the barn, trying to stay out of the rain as best they could, while some of the members went inside and checked out every corner for lurking walkers before giving it the all clear. Kat leant against the barn, a wave of dizziness hitting her and threatening to make her pass out again.

'You ok?' Daryl asked, touching her back gently.

'Yeah. I'm still weak. Running wasn't a good idea when you're hungry and dehydrated' she tried to make light of the situation and smiled at him reassuringly.

'Let me take a look at your head' Carol said and led her to one side. She peeled the bandage back from the wound and looked closely at the infection. 'It's starting to clear up. You need to keep taking the antibiotics until it's all gone.'

'Thanks' Kat said and nodded. She didn't have the heart to tell Carol that she had run out of antibiotics yesterday. Even if she told Carol, there was no pharmacy that they could just run out to to pick some up. They were in the middle of nowhere. She would just have to hang on until they reached the next town.

Everyone began to settle down in the barn. A small fire had been made with what dry wood they could find. Slowly, people began to leave the fire and find a place to sleep for the night. Kat had been ushered off to rest by Carol who was fussing over her. Kat lay down in a corner to try to sleep but was too cold to sleep. She could still hear people whispering around the fire and she almost abandoned her attempt at sleeping to join them around the warm fire. Just as she was about to sit up, a warm body pressed up behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Daryl.

He looked uncomfortable as he tried to decide where to place his arm. Kat gave him a gentle smile and pulled his arm to wrap around her waist, pulling him closer to her. Daryl wasn't one to show her too much affection around others but they were tucked in a corner, out of direct eye-line of everyone sat around the fire. Daryl nuzzled his face into her shoulder and Kat grinned to herself. She let the warmth from Daryl's body wash over her and she drifted off to sleep.

*****

Kat stirred when Daryl pulled away from her. She looked back at him as he stood and brushed some of the hay and dust from his clothes.

'I've got watch. Go back to sleep' he whispered. Kat nodded and tried to go back to sleep but it seemed beyond her reach once more. The thunder and wind were roaring and the lightning flashing, the storm getting worse and worse.

She heard Daryl grunt and sat up to see what was happening. She saw him securing the doors and pushing hard to close them. She could just make out the sound of riled up walkers over the storm. She ran over and braced her back against the door, struggling to keep it shut. The walkers were so agitated by the storm that they would easily tear the barn apart.

People began to notice the struggle to keep the doors shut and soon everyone was pushing against the doors. Fighting for their lives. All of them thinking that this was the end. Daryl had his arms braced forward against the doors and glanced over at Kat. They stared at each other intensely as the storm raged around them. At least if this was the end, they were together. Kat glanced to her left and saw Carol leaning against the door next to her. Merle had his arms on either side of Carol, so they were face to face. At least if this was the end, she was surrounded by family.

As suddenly as the walkers had appeared, pressure seemed to disappear from the door. There were no walkers pushing on it anymore. Daryl peered through the crack in the door. The walkers seemed to have gone. All he could see was darkness. How could they just have disappeared? Normally, once they knew there were living people around, it would take a lot to make them give up the hunt. Daryl watched for several minutes but nothing appeared. The storm also began to quieten around them. The thunder was getting more and more distant.

The group waited, half expecting the walkers to appear again but after a while people began to drift off to go to sleep again. They didn't know what had happened to the walkers but it was a miracle that they had survived them.

Kat pulled Daryl to the back wall of the barn. 'You should sleep' Kat told him. 'Your watch is over and they're gone. Get some rest.'

'Nah' Daryl grunted. 'Gon' keep a watch on the door. They could be back.' Daryl slumped down against the back wall, chewing his thumb nail like he did when he was nervous. Kat looked unsure of where to settle for a moment, so Daryl grabbed her hand and guided her to the floor next to him. He settled her with her head on his lap. She slowly dozed off to sleep and once he was sure that she was definitely asleep, he ran his hand through her hair, enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

*****

Daryl stayed there staring at the door for any sign of trouble until sunlight began to shine into the barn. It was still early though.

'You should get some sleep' Maggie told him. The light had woken her and she knew that Daryl hadn't slept at all.

'Yeah' he replied but made no move to go to sleep. A wave of guilt rushed over him about Beth. He was starting to move on from her death. He was starting to feel happy again with Kat. He took one look at how much Maggie was suffering and he felt guilty that he wasn't suffering as much as her. Beth's death was his fault.

'It's okay to rest now' Maggie told him.

Daryl looked over at Sasha, the other member of the group who was suffering through her losses. She seemed to have finally managed to get some sleep. She hadn't slept much since Tyreese had died. 'He was tough.'

'He was' Maggie agreed.

'So was she. She didn't know it, but she was' Daryl said, resuming his stroking of Kat's hair.

'It's ok to be happy. It wasn't your fault. You both deserve to be happy' Maggie said, gesturing to Kat sleeping in his lap. Maggie left him to go wake Sasha to do a perimeter check. Daryl didn't want to disturb Kat so he leant his head back against the wall of the barn and went to sleep, some of the guilt slipping away.

*****

The group wasn't quite sure what to do. The barn was shelter and safety but they still didn't have food or water. They were going to wait for Maggie and Sasha to come back from their perimeter check and have a group chat. To stay and scout the local area for sources of food and water or to move on.

'Hey. Everyone...' everyone looked over as Maggie and Sasha came back into the barn. 'This is Aaron.' A man walked in behind her and immediately everyone loaded there weapons and had them pointed at Aaron. 'We met him outside. He's by himself. We took his weapons and we took his gear.'

Daryl left Kat's side and looked out of the barn doors, checking for signs of anyone else who might be watching them. He then patted Aaron down checking for any hidden weapons.

'Hi' said Aaron simply. 'It's nice to meet you.' Aaron moved forward as if to try to shake Rick's hand but he stopped when everyone's weapons twitched in their hands.

'You said he had a weapon?' Rick asked, ignoring him. Maggie handed Rick the weapon and Rick looked it over before placing it in the waistband of his trousers. 'There's something you need?'

'He has a camp, nearby. He wants us to audition for membership' Sasha explained for him.

'I wish there was another word. Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe' Aaron joked, Kat smiled and Aaron caught her eyes and smiled at her. 'That's only on Friday nights.' Kat couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. She received a glare from Rick.

'At least someone has a sense of humour' Aaron smiled at her. He received a poke in the back from Daryl's crossbow in warning. 'Um, and it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home. I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into. Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?' Some people glanced at each other nervously; this man knew their names. He had obviously been watching and listening to them for a while. Sasha did as he asked and took the pack to Rick.

'Front pocket, there's an envelope. There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last...' Aaron rambled.

'Nobody gives a shit' growled Daryl.

'You're absolutely 100% right. That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us, you will be. Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot-high, 12-foot-wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so. Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people. Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger.'

This place sounded too good to be true. Kat was in two minds. She wanted this place to be real so badly. A place they could settle down. Not have to live in as much fear. Move on with their lives as best as possible. But she couldn't get the thought of Terminus out of her head. She had had the same hopes there. And look how that had ended.

'The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc...' Rick walked over and punched Aaron in the face, knocking him to the floor. Kat thought that Aaron seemed like a nice guy, he hadn't done anything to warrant being punched like that. She threw a glare at Rick and knelt down on the floor with Maggie and Daryl to check whether he was ok.

Rick moved back to talk to Michonne and Carl before calling out to the rest of them. 'Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction. They're coming for us. We might not know how or when, but they are.' Kat couldn't help but think that Rick sounded paranoid.

'Me and Sasha, we didn't see him. If he had wanted to hurt us, he could've' Maggie said. Apparently Kat wasn't the only one to trust Aaron.

'Anybody see anything?' Rick asked to the people looking out the front.

'Just a lot of places to hide' Glenn answered.

'All right, keep looking.'

Kat and Maggie were gently trying to bring Aaron back to consciousness. Michonne had secured his arms behind his back. He slowly came to and groaned in pain. 'That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick.' He groaned again as Michonne sat him up as Rick ordered.

'You're being cautious. I completely understand' Aaron said gently.

'How many of your people are out there? You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?' Rick asked sharply.

'Does it matter?' Aaron sighed.

'Yes. Yes, it does.'

'I mean, of course, it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure no matter what number I say... eight, 32, 444, zero... No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me.'

'Well, it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face.'

'How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?'

'That was you?' Kat asked.

'You needed water' Aaron sighed. 'You especially' he indicated to Kat.

'How long you people been following us?' Daryl asked.

'Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other. You're survivors and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world.'

'How many others are out there?' Rick asked again.

'One. I knew you wouldn't believe me. If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real? What if I drove you to the community? All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch.'

'I'm not sure how the 15 of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in.'

'We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us.'

'And you're parked just a couple miles away, right?' Carol asked sarcastically.

'East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it.'

'Yeah, you've really thought this through' Rick said grimly.

'Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me.'

'I'll check out the cars' Michonne volunteered.

'There aren't any cars' Rick said adamantly.

'There's only one way to find out' Michonne replied.

'We don't need to find out.'

'We do. You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not.'

'Me neither' Maggie joined in.

'Your way is dangerous, mine isn't' Rick argued.

'Passing up someplace where we can live? Where Judith can live? That's pretty dangerous. We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do' Michonne said with finality.

Rick knew he was fighting a losing battle and so sent Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Rosita and Abraham to check out the cars. Everyone else was to spread out along the perimeter in twos so that they weren't a target all in the barn. Kat stood up from where she was still on the floor next to Aaron. The dizziness from her infection washed over her yet again.

'You should stay here' Carol said with a hand on her shoulder, before disappearing out the door with Merle as her partner. Rick nodded in agreement.

Rick approached Kat and pulled the bandage away from her wound. 'I thought Carol said it was getting better. This looks pretty bad' Rick said. 'You still taking the antibiotics?'

'I'm out' Kat said softly.

'Shit' Rick swore.

'You know we have a doctor in our community' Aaron chimed in.

'Of course you do' Rick said sarcastically, re-covering Kat's head wound.

'I noticed the signs of an infection while I was watching you. We normally bring some medicine in the vehicles in case anyone is injured when we find them. I made sure I had some antibiotics in my pack for you. They should be over there, brown bottle.'

Kat and Rick looked over the small bottle of antibiotics. The label and everything seemed in order. Kat reached to take them from Rick's hands but he snatched it out of her reach. 'I'm not letting you take these. There could be anything in there.'

'Rick, I know you don't want to trust anyone after everything that has happened. But we need to. It's the same dilemma as the water. If I don't get antiobiotics then this infection will probably kill me' Kat argued.

'Merle has the most experience with this kind of thing. We'll wait until he gets back and see what he thinks about the pills' Rick conceded.

Rick placed the antibiotics back onto the crate and then went back to the door to look outside. While Rick's back was turned Kat quietly took a pill out and swallowed it dry. She nodded at Aaron who smiled at her reassuringly. They'd soon find out whether he was trustworthy or not.

*****

The five of them that had checked out the cars came back with lots of canned food. They had found a car and an RV. Aaron had told the truth. Nothing untoward had happened after Kat had taken the medication as well. She trusted Aaron. They needed this community.

'This, this is ours now' Rick said, gesturing to the food.

'There's more than enough' Aaron agreed.

'It's ours whether or not we go to your camp' Rick said.

'What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?' Carl asked incredulously.

'If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us... but he isn't, and he doesn't. He gave us food and water' Michonne said.

'And medicine' Kat added.

'We don't know whether it's actually medicine' Rick tried to contradict her.

'It's not done anything bad to me yet' Kat replied.

'You took some?' Rick asked angrily.

'He's not trying to hurt us Rick. He just wants to help' Kat said in return.

'We need this. So we're going, all of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently' Michonne said with certainty.

Rick looked at Daryl for back-up but received none. 'I don't know, man. This barn smells like horse shit' Daryl said, shrugging. Truth was that he knew Kat had made up her mind and he would follow her to the ends of the earth.

'Yeah. We're going' Rick finally conceded.

Aaron refused to tell them exactly where his camp was. They made plans to travel at night and Aaron would give them directions as they went. Everyone was concerned about how dangerous it was travelling at night but Rick wanted to be able to check it out without the community knowing they were there first. So their plans were made.

*****

Kat and Daryl sat at the front of the RV, Abraham behind the wheel. The group were all piled into the RV; Michonne, Glenn, Rick and Aaron were in the car in front, leading the way. The drive had been uneventful so far and they hoped that it would continue that way.

Their luck was short lived though. The darkness made visibility limited and they only realised that they had driven right into a herd of walkers when it was already too late. Abraham slammed on the brakes and they watched as the car in front of them continued to plough through the walkers, transforming the white car into a canvas of red blood and gore.

'Follow them!' yelled Maggie, wanting to follow her husband.

'We'd never make it through the herd. It's a miracle their car is still going' Abraham yelled. He threw the RV into reverse and they managed to get away from the walkers.

'What do we do now?' asked Kat.

'They'll realise we aren't following them and they'll come back. We'll have to find an alternative route' Carol reasoned.

'We can't stay on the road too long. Half that herd will be heading for us and the other half for them' Daryl said.

'We need to stay on the road for them to find us' Maggie replied.

'Hey!' yelled Carl, interrupting the debate. 'There was a flare!'

'What?' Abraham asked.

'Someone shot up a flare, just over there' Rosita confirmed, pointing to the direction.

'Rick has the flare gun!' Maggie said.

'But it's coming from the wrong direction. There's no way they could have got over there so fast' Abraham reasoned.

'If Aaron had a flare gun, what's the betting the other person who came out here with him had one as well?' Kat said.

'What do we do?' Abraham asked.

'They wouldn't have shot a flare if they had another choice. They need help. We go help them!' exclaimed Kat.

Abraham looked around at everyone else to check opinions and everyone else seemed to agree. He managed to turn the RV around and they headed towards the flare.

They got to the water tower and got out of the RV, weapons at the ready.

'It was around here somewhere' Rosita said.

'This way' whispered Daryl, following the sound of walkers. They rounded a corner to find walkers swarming a car. They were so intent on whatever was underneath it that they didn't hear the group approaching.

'Help!' screamed a pained voice from under the car.

The group immediately sprang into action and began taking out the walkers that had finally noticed the group and started to peel off towards them. Once Kat had taken out a few walkers, and the others were distracted, she approached the car and held out a hand to pull out the man from underneath it.

A small man emerged from underneath, wincing as he tried to get up. 'I've hurt my ankle, they rolled a tire onto it' he told her. Kat managed to support him as they limped away from the fighting, the group making sure to keep walkers away from them.

The rest of the group managed to take out all of the walkers and they all gathered around the man, who was still relying on Kat to keep him standing. Abraham and Daryl kept their weapons trained on him, Daryl not liking the fact that Kat was so close to this unknown man.

'Who are you?' Daryl asked.

The man looked around and ignored the question. 'Where's Aaron?'

'Who are you?' Daryl repeated but the man seemed to be getting more and more distressed.

'Aaron and three of our people were in a car ahead of us. We hit a herd of walkers and got separated. I'm sure if they saw the flare they'll head here' Kat told him.

The man nodded and seemed to calm down slightly. 'I'm Eric. I'm from Alexandria as well. Thank you. If you hadn't saved me…' he trailed off in thought.

'We need to get him off that ankle' Maggie said.

Abraham and Daryl scouted inside an abandoned warehouse. They found it to be clear so Kat helped Eric into the back room and Maggie checked over his ankle. Daryl was keeping watch out the front of the building, checking for signs of the others.

'I think it's broken' Maggie sighed, looking at his ankle. She didn't have much medical knowledge, only things that her father had passed on. 'I can't do anything for it except wrap it tightly and suggest you try not to walk on it.'

'Thank you' Eric said sincerely.

Maggie accepted the thanks and then left the room. Kat got up to leave as well but Eric stopped her. 'Wait, how are you feeling?'

Kat was taken aback for a minute and then remembered that he had been watching with Aaron. 'I'm getting better now thanks to the antibiotics you brought with you. So thank you.'

'Let's call it even' Eric smiled and Kat returned the smile. 'Will you stay with me? I'm worried about Aaron being out there and I don't want to be left alone with my thoughts.'

Kat agreed and stayed and got to know Eric a little bit. They were broken from their conversation about what they missed from before the apocalypse by a yell from Daryl out front. Kat left to go see what was happening.

She went into the other room to find a frantic looking Aaron. 'Eric?' he yelled.

'He's through there, he's okay' Kat said reassuringly. The look of relief took over Aaron's face and he hugged Kat quickly before disappearing into the other room. Kat looked in on the room to see the two men kissing. She didn't want to intrude so she slipped back into the other room, to make sure that the rest of the group had arrived safely.

Eventually Aaron emerged from the room. 'Everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria.'

Kat glanced up at Daryl and he smiled back at her. She discretely reached down and their fingers entwined. They had a new hope. This could be a new beginning for them all.


	26. Chapter 25

Thankfully, the journey to Alexandria was uneventful. They drove up to the gates and all got out of the RV and car. The gates slid open as they approached and Aaron made sure that Eric got through and was going straight to get medical help for his ankle.

Daryl didn't feel secure and kept one arm around Kat, keeping her close to his side. Everyone was on high alert. They all jumped, with weapons at the ready, when a trash can fell over next to them, Daryl immediately firing his crossbow. Luckily, it was only a possum.

'We brought dinner' Daryl smirked, holding up the possum to the man who had opened the gates.

'It's okay. Come on in, guys' Aaron said reassuringly.

They all entered through the gates warily. Daryl tried to bring Kat close to his side again, forgetting he had the possum in his hand.

'Just keep that thing away from me' Kat smiled at him. He gave a smirk back but his face tensed again, remembering the situation they were in.

'Ain't nothin' wrong with some possum, princess' Merle joked.

The gates closed behind them and everyone tensed even more. They were trapped now.

'Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. Stay, you hand them over' said the man who had opened the gates, who had yet to introduce himself.

'We don't know if we want to stay' Rick said.

'It's fine, Nicholas' Aaron tried to pacify the man.

'If we were gonna use them, we would have started already' Rick said condescendingly.

'Let them talk to Deanna first' Aaron said.

'Who's Deanna?' asked Abraham loudly.

'She knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?' Aaron asked. Rick had Judith in his arms and looked around to pass her to his son. Carl had a tight grip on a gun though. Rick then turned to Kat and passed the baby over to her.

'Hey there, baby girl' Kat cooed at Judith as she took her. She wasn't a bad shot but she still felt much more comfortable with a knife. At the moment, Carl would be more useful keeping his weapon out. The guns made more of a statement anyway; their group was not to be messed with. Kat could take care of Judith. She hadn't had much time with the little girl over the last few weeks and she missed being around her.

They all heard the snarl of a walker behind them. 'Sasha' Rick indicated and the woman turned and took the walker out with a gunshot. 'It's a good thing we're here.'

Aaron led Rick over to one of the large houses and Kat could see a woman looking out of the window at them. The group remained stood near the gate, anxious and quiet. They waited for a while, whilst Rick talked to Deanna. He eventually returned and nodded at them. They were going to give this place a chance. They were led into a yard area where they were asked to give up their guns. They were told that they still belonged to them but that they would be kept locked up. They could keep all other weapons. Daryl let out a sigh of relief, only audible to Kat, as he kept a firm grip on his crossbow.

Kat surrendered her hand gun, the only gun she had on her. She much preferred her knives. The rest of the group waited as Carol smiled broadly and fumbled to take the guns off. The rest of the group knew that this was acting. They didn't know why, but Carol knew her way around her guns.

They then waited in the yard to be called for their 'audition'. They were told that once they had talked to Deanna, then they would be taken to the houses they would be staying in. Carl was taken in to talk to Deanna first, at which point he volunteered to take Judith with him. Then Carol, then Merle. They then asked for Kat and Daryl grabbed her arm. He wasn't happy about her going in alone.

Deanna was stood on the deck watching the exchange. 'If you feel safer, you can stay outside the room. There's only one way in and out of the room and you can hear everything going on inside. I just don't want your presence to affect her answers' Deanna reasoned.

Daryl grunted and followed Kat into the building. 'I'll be right here' he said as he stopped outside the door. Kat nodded and headed inside.

'Hello. I'm Deanna Monroe' Deanna began once Kat was fully in the room and the door shut between her and Daryl.

'Kathryn Johnson. You can call me Kat.' Deanna nodded in acceptance.

'You can take a seat' she indicated the armchair across from the sofa. 'You mind if I film this?'

'Err… sure' Kat replied but was unsure as to why she would want to.

Deanna saw the unasked question in her eyes and answered it. 'We're about transparency here. So, how are you feeling? Aaron mentioned that you had been ill.'

'Infected head wound. It's getting better, thanks to Aaron providing more antibiotics.'

'How were you injured? If you don't mind me asking.'

Kat hesitated for a moment. The wound was originally caused by Merle and then re-opened by Abraham. She couldn't very well tell Deanna either of these if she wanted the group to stay. 'It was an old wound. Re-opened when I took a hit to the face.'

'How did you find the group?'

'They found me. I was locked in a basement. Daryl and Glenn found me and got me out. I had no idea what had happened. I'd never seen walkers before. They got me out and kept me safe. Taught me how to defend myself. Without this group, I would be dead.'

'Well, that explains why Daryl is so protective of you. You were locked in the basement before everything happened?' Deana asked in shock.

'My father wasn't a very nice man' Kat said with finality, indicating that she was finished talking about that.

'I was a congressperson. Ohio, 15th district. What did you do?'

'Nothing.' Kat raised her eyebrows. Deanna looked abashed, realising that it was a fairly stupid question considering what she had just found out about Kat's father. It was a question Deanna asked everyone and so she hadn't thought about the fact that she shouldn't ask.

'I saw you outside with Judith. Rick trusts you with her and Rick doesn't seem to trust easily. Do you like children?'

'I get on well with Judith and Carl. I love looking after Judith. I looked after another young girl for a while but I couldn't protect her. She got bitten. I couldn't save her' Kat broke off as the thoughts of Kayla flooded back. She shook them away and continued. 'I haven't really been around many children since I was one.'

'We're looking for someone who could provide… daycare services you could say. We have a makeshift school for the older children but we have a couple of younger children and they sometimes get underfoot when parents are doing other errands. Would that be something you would consider doing? I think you'd do well in the role and I'm usually a very good judge of character.'

'You don't want me to do guard duty or scavenging trips?' Kat asked. She wasn't used to the fact that there were so many people in Alexandria that not everyone had to take on these roles. It would take some getting used to.

'I hope you don't mind me saying but I noticed that you didn't have a gun out when you entered like everyone else did. You only carried one gun and not the arsenal that the rest of your group was carrying. I know you said that they trained you to defend yourself but… well…' Deanna indicated to Kat's head wound. 'I think your talents seem to lie elsewhere. We could provide you with more training here if that's what you want. I'm sure my sons would be more than happy to assist you.'

Kat realised that Deanna seemed to think that she was the helpless one of the group. Kat could admit to herself that she definitely was one of the weakest of the group but with her self-defence training from Merle and Daryl, she could definitely take care of herself. She just smiled and nodded, agreeing to take on the role of nanny. She would let Deanna think her weak for now. She could prove her wrong in the future.

'Well I think that I shall talk to Daryl now. I have a feeling that his meeting will be a lot more difficult than yours. You are free to wait outside for him if you wish. Aaron can take you both to your house after.'

'Thank you for taking us in' Kat said sincerely and shook Deanna's hand. She exited the room and nodded at Daryl to indicate that everything had gone okay. He gave her a small smile before being ushered into the room by Deanna.

*****

Once Daryl had emerged, looking disgruntled, Aaron appeared to show them to their new homes and was leading Glenn and Maggie in for their auditions.

'These two houses are both at your disposal. Perks of being auditioned earlier is that you'll have a better pick of the rooms and which house you want to be in.'

'Thank you' Kat said with a small smile at the man but Daryl remained stony-faced.

They both walked towards one of the houses that they could see Merle and Carol in through the window. They entered and marvelled at how intact the houses were. They were completely untouched by the apocalypse, so much so that it was almost unnerving. It was too perfect.

Carol and Merle were both showered and wearing clean clothes. Kat didn't think she had ever actually seen Merle clean before.

'Everything works. Electricity. Hot water. Everything' Carol marvelled. 'They brought some clothes over and I've figured out what should fit everyone.' Kat was handed a pile of clothes. Daryl declined the outstretched clothes.

'Is there a bathroom free for me to shower?' Kat asked.

'These places are huge. There's about fifty of the damn things' Merle exaggerated.

'Up the stairs, down the hall, second door on the left' Carol said.

Kat smiled at Daryl before heading off to the bathroom. She showered for what felt like hours, revelling in the hot water. Feeling properly clean for the first time since the apocalypse began.

She eventually emerged from the shower and took in her appearance in the mirror. She was thin but her figure had filled out since the basement. Her hair looked properly blonde once again. It had taken to being a brown colour from all the much and grime that had accumulated in it. She smiled at her reflection and the expression seemed odd on her face, she hadn't seen it in such a long time.

She made here way downstairs and was greeted by a whistle from Merle. 'You sure do clean up well, princess.'

'You don't look too bad yourself. I didn't know you knew how to use soap' Kat teased.

'Daryl's out on the porch. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.' Carol said. Kat looked at her questioningly but got no response from the older woman.

She went out onto the porch and saw Daryl skinning the possum that he had been clutching the whole audition. 'The shower is available' Kat stated.

'Nah. I'm fine.'

'Daryl?' She asked and lowered herself to sit beside him on the porch.

'I don't need no shower' he snapped.

'What's wrong? You don't like this place?'

'I can't get comfortable here' he paused there but Kat remained silence and waited for him to continue. He sighed and carried on. 'The last time we found a place like this, that we thought was safe, I persuaded you to go in. Look what happened.'

'This isn't Terminus. I like the people here. I trust them.' Daryl didn't look convinced. 'Besides, I'm not touching your dirty ass until you shower.'

'Fine' he grumbled. Kat leaned over and gave him a quick kiss and a grateful smile. 'Thought you weren't touching my dirty ass' he smirked at her.

'Shut up and just go shower' she threw back at him as he headed indoors.

*****

It was decided that the group would spend the night in the same house for safety. Everyone gathered in the living room, having gathered up pillows and blankets. Kat lay on the floor near Daryl and where Judith's new crib had been placed.

They all jerked to attention at the knock on the door. It was Deanna checking up on them. She complimented on them being smart and sticking together. 'You said you're a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that.'

Kat smiled at that thought. All these people were her family and she would do anything to protect them. She hoped this place wouldn't be a mistake. That there could be a place for all of them. Daryl was having difficulty coming to terms with this place. She hoped he would accept it soon. Deanna hadn't given him a job yet because she hadn't figured him out yet.

Once Deanna was gone, everyone began to settle down to sleep. 'Shove over' Kat was nudged by Daryl. She began to shift over so that he could lie between her and the wall. 'No. Other way.' He corrected her. Kat smiled as he led down beside her. She knew he was deliberately placing himself in front of her in case of any danger. He hadn't brought any blankets with him so she shuffled to press herself against him and threw the blanket over to cover him as well. He turned over so that he was facing her.

'Thanks' he whispered through the darkness.

She smiled sleepily at him and closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep. Just as she was drifting off, she smiled as she felt a warm arm wrap around her and pull her snug to his chest; the constant beating of his heart lulling her to sleep.

*****

The next morning the group agreed to go explore the community. Scope it out and maybe meet some of it's occupants. Daryl decided to stay behind and sat firmly on the porch. He had showered but hadn't changed his clothes. He looked a mess.

Kat and Merle had been about to head out to explore but both looked back at Daryl. 'He's not happy here' Kat sighed.

'Us Dixons don't do well cooped up behind walls like this. I don't like it but that Deanna woman has given me the job of hunting. It helps to have a purpose. She needs to give him a job soon and one that will get him out there.'

'I'm not sure whether he'll stay.'

'Well if he leaves I'm gon' be right behind him.'

'Me too.'

'Good. He needs you, princess. Whether he admits it or not.'

'Ahem' they were interrupted by a cough and the appearance of two young men. Daryl sprung off the porch defensively to join them.

'We're looking for Kathryn?'

'Don't know no Kathryn' said Merle.

'Who's asking?' Said Daryl at the same time.

'I'm Aiden and this is my brother Spencer. We're Deanna's sons. She said that Kathryn was interested in some training and we came to discuss it with her' Aiden said cockily.

'It's Kat actually' Kat said.

'Your name is Kathryn?' Merle exclaimed. 'How did I not know that?' Merle muttered to himself.

'Well Spencer here does a lot of guard duty so he can help with shooting. I lead a lot of the scavenging missions. I'm the best to teach you self-defence. We're the best people around to teach you' Aiden continued arrogantly. He ignored the slight growling coming from Daryl.

Kat forced a fake smile on to her face. 'That sounds great. Just let me know when we'll start.'

The two men nodded and said goodbye before leaving.

'What the hell princess? Our lessons weren't good enough for you?' Merle exclaimed.

'Deanna seemed to think I was weak because of my injury and because I carried less weapons than the rest of you. Plus I came in looking like a babysitter holding Judith. I let her think what she wanted. Your lessons were great for me. But it can't hurt to know what we're up against. If what Aiden said was true and they are the best, let's see what they've got.'

'Please let me be there when you hand them their asses. Maybe then they'll see what we're made of' Merle smirked. Daryl gave her a small smile.

'Make sure you take someone with you when you go. I don't think you should be alone with them. I don't trust Aiden' Daryl said.

Kat agreed. She got a bad feeling about Aiden.


	27. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a repost of my fanfiction from fanfiction.net because the next chapter will contain some smut that fanfiction.net won't allow. 
> 
> Also, I'm going to try and update this fanfiction regularly but I travel a lot for work so don't always have internet so I can't guarantee when I will update. Sorry all!

Daryl has snuck out early, pulling himself away from Kat silently. His hunting skills came in handy in times like this. He met Rick and Carol out in the woods for their meeting. Rick and Carol were still very suspicious of the community. They wanted to get their guns out of the lock up just in case. The longer they were here, the more Daryl wanted it to work out. He knew that the people of Alexandria needed more protection, they weren't prepared for this new world but he desperately wanted it to work out for his family. For him and Kat. He didn't feel so good about Rick and Carol's plan anymore.

'Listen, the others, we want them to try' Rick said. He needed the group to be accepted within Alexandria.

'You, too' Carol shot at Daryl, she knew he wasn't even trying to fit in at the moment. It was just his way.

'So we keep it quiet. Just us' Rick said adamantly.

'What about Kat?' Daryl asked immediately, not thinking through that Rick had meant everyone. Rick gave him a look to silence him but Carol interrupted before he said anything.

'They all think Kat is harmless. They're trusting her with their children. We could work that to our advantage.'

'Wait a minute…' Daryl started.

'That could work. We just need her to play up being weak. If she can gain their trust then she can help us avoid having to take over. If things start to go south she could advise them to let us take charge. Avoid as much trouble as possible. With Kat and Carol playing up being weak they'll think we're not as strong as we actually are' Rick said.

'She'll never agree to the fact that you're taking guns. She wants this place to work out' Daryl said.

'So we tell her that we just don't want to come across too intimidating. Ask her to keep a low profile like me. I'll tell her I'm doing the same thing. We don't tell her about the guns and the back-up plan' Carol reasoned.

'You're asking me to keep this from her?' Daryl asked, not liking where this was going.

'For now' Rick said with finality.

*****

Kat stretched and smiled as she woke up. She felt like she hadn't slept as well in years as she had since she'd gotten to Alexandria. They had finally settled into the two houses and her and Daryl had their own room. Her smile slipped when she realised that the solid warmth that she was becoming used to waking up next to was missing. She opened her eyes and smiled as Daryl sat on a chair nearby.

'Where'd you go?' asked Kat. The sheet next to her was cold and she knew that he had gotten out of bed a while ago.

'Went for a walk, didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. I'm going hunting for a bit' Daryl said softly. Kat knew that he was feeling quite caged in the community and being outside the walls for a while would do him some good.

'Be careful' she said, rising from the bed and kissing him gently. He responded in kind and reluctantly pulled away from her. He looked her up and down and took in the shirt that she was wearing as pyjamas.

She smirked when she saw him eyeing her. They shared a bed but sleeping was all that had occurred there so far. She knew he wanted her but he always seemed so reluctant, like he didn't want to push her or hurt her. Little did he know that she was more than willing.

'You better go before I ask you to stay' she smirked at him. 'Besides I have some little ones to take care of.'

Daryl gave her one last smouldering kiss before turning and heading out the door. Kat thought she heard him mutter, 'minx' on the way out and she smiled to herself.

Their set up felt so domestic. Him giving her a kiss goodbye before heading out for the day, before she would head off herself for her job. She frowned to herself as she thought about how the community was stereotyping them into jobs though. Daryl was going out hunting for food for the day whilst she was left at home with the kids. Maybe she could prove herself today in the self-defence lesson she was going to be having with Aiden and Spencer. Maybe then they would let her go out on runs. They had been round to the house last night to schedule the session. They would see what she was made of.

Kat got dressed and headed downstairs to grab some breakfast.

'Morning' Carol greeted her from the kitchen. Carol was already preparing food for the day for the elderly and others that might not be able to cook for themselves. Kat helped herself to some porridge that was on the stove.

'Are you still ok to look after the kids this afternoon while I have my self-defence lesson?' Kat asked Carol.

'Of course. I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I was talking with Rick and we think it might be best if you don't show Spencer and Aiden that you are capable of defending yourself. The community is only just starting to accept our presence and they trust you with their children. It might be a bit much to know that every single one of us is capable of being out there.'

'So you want me to pretend to be weak?'

'Well maybe just don't advertise how easily you could take one of them down. I'm doing the same here. Just gaining their trust. So we don't intimidate them.'

Kat looked at Carol for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. She didn't really like lying to these people when they were trying to make a home for themselves here. But she could understand that the parents might not trust her with their children if they thought she was too dangerous. Kat could only see it as being a positive, that she would be able to defend their children if necessary, but they had been hidden behind their wall for so long. She could see that they probably wouldn't trust her anymore. Kat nodded and agreed. Suddenly, the training session this afternoon was going to be a lot harder now that she would have to concentrate on not revealing how familiar she was with defending herself.

'Merle is going to be disappointed. He was going to come along with me and was looking forward to me kicking their asses' Kat smiled.

'I'm sure I can find something to distract him instead' Carol said. Kat looked at the older woman and smirked as a blush appeared on her cheeks. Was there something going on there?

'Yes. I'm sure you can' Kat teased gently.

*****

Kat had spent the morning looking after the young children. There was Judith, two other toddlers (Isaac and Maddie) and one slightly older six year old (Tyler) who was very excited about joining big kid school soon.

Carol had returned from doing her rounds in the community and was prepared to take over care of the children.

'Ready to go princess? I'm ready to see those bitches get their asses handed to them' Merle strolled into the room.

'There's been a change of plan' Carol warned him. Merle was filled in on the change - Kat's version anyway.

'Well that's bullshit. There are more than a dozen of us. What difference do you two make in making these people think we are less of a threat?'

'We want Kat and myself to build a bridge between our group and the citizens of Alexandria. Get us accepted faster.'

Merle nodded. He didn't agree but he wasn't in charge. 'Well are we going to go then?'

'You're still coming?' Kat asked.

'Of course. I'm not leaving you alone with those jerk-offs.'

Kat smiled and grinned at her surrogate brother. 'Let's go then.'

*****

'Hey there Kitty Kat!' greeted Aiden from afar. They were meeting Spencer and Aiden near the gates. They were going to take Kat away from the houses, a large green space within the walls. They were going to teach her self-defence first and so there was no need to venture out the gates. They were going to do it out of site of the houses though; Aiden had suggested that Kat might be less embarrassed that way.

'Don't call me that!' Kat snapped. She couldn't help but snap; Aiden rubbed her up the wrong way. She wasn't getting off to a good start with appearing meek. 'Sorry, bullies used to call me that' she lied.

Merle stifled a laugh and Aiden and Spencer finally took notice of the fact that he hadn't left after escorting Kat to them.

'What's he doing here?' asked Aiden indignantly.

'I thought I'd watch to see how you teach her. I tried you see but I failed. Can't teach her anything, she's useless' Merle exaggerated, trying not to laugh. Kat discretely pinched Merle in the side to make her displeasure at his comment known, all the while smiling sweetly at the brothers.

'Fine' Aiden pouted and led them off to the space that they would be using.

'Ok first things first. You're going to show me how you throw a punch' Aiden began. Kat exaggerated doing things badly. Not taking a good stance and punching with her thumb tucked in her hand. Aiden corrected the basics that she was doing wrong but she wasn't learning anything valuable. Aiden was competent at the basics but not very useful beyond that.

Merle and Spencer stayed silent and watched the training. Merle because he was taking in the capabilities of Aiden, supposedly one of Alexandria's best fighters. Spencer because he didn't really have anything to add. He was going to be in charge of teaching Kat to shoot. He'd come along to see what his brother was going to teach her and possibly to keep him in line if needed. Although he wasn't going to be needed with Merle there looking out for her.

Kat gritted her teeth as Aiden took every chance he got to get close to her. Correcting her stance by standing behind her and placing his hands on her hips, guiding how she should place her legs. Merle grumbled slightly, not pleased with all of the touching, but he knew that Kat could stand up for herself.

'I've got it thanks' Kat said sharply, stepping away from Aiden.

'Don't be like that' Aiden said, stroking her hip.

'I think we're done here' Merle stepped forward and pulled Kat away from Aiden.

'What is he, your father? She doesn't need you to speak for her' Aiden taunted Merle.

'And she doesn't need you groping her' Merle replied, putting himself in front of Kat.

'Jealous old man?' Aiden said, stepping closer and getting in Merle's face.

Merle grabbed Aiden's arm and managed to spin him around, pulling his arm up his back. 'This lesson is over for today' Merle said sternly, trying to reign in his anger.

'Merle, don't hurt him!' said Kat. This lesson was supposed to help them build bridges with Alexandria and this wasn't exactly going to help.

'I'm not going to hurt him. I'm just going to escort him back to his mother and inform her that she should have taught him better manners' Merle smirked. He started to force Aiden away, Aiden struggling futilely to get out of Merle's strong grip but was left with no option but to do as Merle directed.

Kat sighed as they both disappeared back towards the Monroe house. Spencer chuckled beside her. 'He had that coming.' Kat looked up at him shocked. 'He's never been very tactful. He needs to be taught a lesson. He won't touch you again, I promise. If you still want any self-defence lessons I'm sure we can find someone else. I'm still happy to teach you shooting, if that's what you'd like?'

'I'd like that' Kat smiled at him. At least one of the brothers seemed to be decent. Hopefully he was a better shooter than his brother was a fighter. There might still be hope for Alexandria yet.

*****

Kat and Merle made it back to the house, Merle laughing about his treatment of Aiden. 'That mother of his didn't look best pleased. She told me to pass on her sincerest apologies and the promise that he wouldn't come near you again. Bastard was pouting like a child the whole time.'

'Thanks for sorting him out, big brother.'

'Couldn't let him try and steal away my brother's girl.'

They walked into the kitchen to find Carol baking. The children had gone back to their parents for the day. 'You two had better get showered. There's a party tonight that we all have to go to. To introduce us to the rest of the people here. Help us get settled. It's compulsory' she said sharply, knowing full well that both Kat and Merle, but particularly Merle, were thinking of ways that they could get out of it.

Kat went upstairs and showered. She saw that Carol had laid out some clothes for both her and Daryl on the bed. She picked up the short red dress and held it up. It was the fanciest dress she had seen since the beginning of the apocalypse. Who even kept these kinds of clothes anymore? People who weren't scared enough of what was outside these walls.

She sighed and glanced over at the shirt and trousers that were laid out next to the dress. She laughed to herself. Daryl wasn't back from his hunt yet and even if he got back in time for the party, she doubted he would put these clothes on. They'd be lucky if he put on clean clothes after hunting.

Would Daryl even try to make it to the party? She didn't really want to go alone. She wanted him by her side. She wrote out a quick note to tell him where they were all going. She added that she would love for him to join her there.

*****

Kat entered the party with Merle, Rick, Judith, Carl and Carol, who was carrying a plate of cookies. Deanna greeted them and then Kat splintered off to grab a glass of wine. She couldn't believe that these people had alcohol. She would need it to get through this party, particularly if Daryl didn't show up.

Kat exchanged pleasantries with a few of the parents of the children she looked after. She just felt very insecure being dressed up like she was. She mainly kept to herself. Merle had come over for a while to talk to her but he was mainly being dragged around by Carol to meet people. Carol's goal of the evening seemed to be to make Merle more approachable.

Kat felt quite alone, most of the group were off mingling but she was worried about Daryl. Surely he should have been back by now?

'Are you ok?' Spencer wandered over, apparently the worry had been evident on her face.

'It's just that one of our group, Daryl, went out hunting earlier and hasn't come back yet. I'm just a bit worried.'

'The archer? He looks as though he can handle himself. It's natural to worry but I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.'

'Thanks. I needed to hear that' Kat smiled at him.

*****

Daryl had actually made it back safely and had returned to the house to get changed. He found the note from Kat and considered this party. It was definitely not something he wanted to go to. But he would, for her. He showered and picked up the clothes from the bed. He actually put them on. He wanted to look like someone who was worthy of being by Kat's side. He had no doubt that she would have dressed up as well, he wanted to look like they belonged together. He put his leather waistcoat over the top though, he still wanted to look like himself.

He walked over the party and the closer he got the more nervous he became. He wanted to be this confident man who could stroll in there and stand with his girl. Give her a brief kiss and get to know the people of Alexandria. But that wasn't who he was. He was private, he was used to being alone. He didn't know how to function as part of a couple outside of their family.

He stood looking at the window of the Monroe house. He could see Kat through the window and she looked stunning in a red dress. She was gorgeous. This made him doubt himself more, sure he had cleaned up but did he deserve to be with someone so beautiful. He saw Spencer Monroe approach her and she smiled up at him. He sighed, he didn't fit in here. He trusted her, he knew nothing would happen between her and Spencer but he also knew that they looked perfect together. The people of Alexandria would only see that he didn't belong with someone like Kat. He wouldn't make a good impression. It was better if he just kept to himself and to their family.

He turned and walked away and he missed Kat glance out of the window as Spencer left her alone and see him walk away. Her face lit up in a grin and she ran after him. He was out of sight by the time she made it out of the house. She took off the heels that Carol had left out for her and ran in the direction of their house.

Kat managed to catch sight of him stood outside Aaron and Eric's house. She stopped running and approached slowly to catch what they were saying.

'Thought you were going to that party over there' Daryl said.

'Oh, I was never going to go 'cause of Eric's ankle, thank God' Aaron replied.

'Why the hell did you tell me to go, then?'

'I said try. You did. It's a thought that counts thing.'

'I did. For Kat' Daryl mumbled.

'You've found someone worth trying for. It looks like the feelings mutual' Aaron said and nodded his head in Kat's direction as she had been coming closer.

'Why don't you two come in? Have some dinner' Aaron offered. Daryl looked hesitant and Kat was about to protest that they would be intruding. 'Come on, man. It's some pretty serious spaghetti. And Eric could do with some company.'

Aaron went into the house and before they followed him inside, Kat grabbed Daryl's hand and gave it a squeeze. 'I'm glad you're back safe and thank you for trying to come to the party.'

Daryl pulled her into a tight hug and breathed in her scent for a second before placing a gentle kiss on her head. 'Only for you' he mumbled softly. Hand in hand they followed Aaron into the house.

Eric served up the spaghetti he had made and it was amazing. Kat still couldn't get over how normal and domestic Alexandria was. Beside her, Daryl was slurping up the pasta messily. Kat looked up and caught Eric's eye and they had to hold back their laughter at Daryl's table manners.

'Thanks' grunted Daryl, wiping the sauce from around his mouth.

'Mmm, when you're out there, if you happen to be in a store or something, Mrs. Neudermyer is really looking for a pasta maker. And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it. I mean, we have crates of dried pasta in here, but she wants to make her own or something. I really think she just wants something to talk about, so... if you see one out on your travels, it would go a long way to…' Eric rambled but stopped when he was getting nasty looks from Aaron. 'I thought it was done. You didn't ask him already?'

'Ask me what?' asked Daryl suspiciously.

'Follow me' Aaron said and stood from the table, leading Daryl off towards the garage. Kat went to follow but Eric stopped her.

'Let them talk. You can keep me company. I could do with a hand to the couch' Eric said. Kat supported him as he hobbled over to the sofa.

'What are they talking about?' Kat asked.

'Aaron's going to show him the rundown motorcycle in the garage. Daryl can have it if he wants to fix it up. It's just been sat there collecting dust. Aaron wants him to have it for going out. Aaron wants him to replace me as the other recruiter. He worries too much about me being out there and Daryl can handle himself. He's a good judge of character to boot. Do you think he'll do it?'

'I think so. He feels caged up in here. I know he needs to be out there sometimes. I'll worry but he needs that. I'll feel better knowing he's not alone out there. Aaron can obviously handle himself as well.' Kat broke off in thought, unsure what else to say.

'So you and him, huh?' Eric broke the tension, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and making Kat blush.

'Yeah. Me and him' she smirked back.

'How long?'

'I'm not sure. Not long.'

'You suit each other. You balance him out. I don't really know him but from what me and Aaron saw from watching you guys, he wouldn't have come to the party for anyone other than you.'

'I need him too. He built me up from nothing. I wouldn't be alive without him' Kat smiled wistfully. 'So you and Aaron huh?' she turned it around on him. They both laughed as Eric spilled the details of his relationship with Aaron. Kat felt like she had found a good friend in Eric and they were laughing hysterically when Daryl and Aaron finally emerged from the garage, come out to see what all the noise was about.

*****

The night had been lovely. Aaron and Eric had broken out a bottle of wine and the two couples had laughed and exchanged conversation. Both Daryl and Kat felt like they could be themselves around these two and they were accepted for who they were.

They said goodnight to the couple and began to stroll slowly towards their house.

'You know what Aaron asked me?' Daryl asked.

'Yeah. Eric told me. You say yes?'

'I said I'd think about it. I wanted to ask you what you thought first?'

'Thank you for considering me but it's your decision. I know you need to be out there sometimes. You'll go stir crazy behind these walls. I'll worry but at least you'll have Aaron with you. I think it could be a good job for you.'

'I'm gonna say yes' Daryl confirmed and smiled down at Kat, taking her hand in his and placing a soft kiss on the back of it. 'Maybe this place isn't so bad after all.' Daryl truly meant that and he began to feel unsettled in his stomach about his involvement in Rick and Carol's plan. Maybe it wasn't the best idea anymore.


	28. Chapter 27

It was going to be a busy day. There were two separate runs heading out. Daryl and Aaron were going to head out to look for any survivors. Glenn, Tara, Noah, Eugene, Nicholas and Aiden were also looking out for parts to help repair Alexandria’s grid. Kat had asked what that meant and Eugene had tried to explain to her but after a while Kat resorted to smiling and nodding and just pretending to understand. 

She had brought the kids out onto the street for a walk so that she could watch them leave. Judith was in a stroller as Kat pushed her along. The toddlers were walking, holding onto the stroller for support and enjoying the fresh air as Tyler ran up and down the street under Kat’s watchful eye. 

She made eye contact with Daryl, who was packing things into the back of Aaron’s car. Daryl would be on his bike with Aaron following behind. They weren’t going to be gone long on this run. It was going to be a trial run just to see how the two of them dealt with being out there alone. They should be back by the end of the day, or the beginning of tomorrow. Kat had faith that the situation would be fine. Aaron and Daryl would work well together. 

Daryl looked up and met her eyes with a smirk. Kat blushed, thinking about the goodbyes that they had shared in their room earlier. They had said goodbye then so that they didn’t have to do it in front of everyone else. Daryl had attacked her lips with a ferocity that he hadn’t before. It had taken Kat’s breath away and left her wanting more.   
She was broken out of her reminiscing by Aiden stepping into the line of sight between her and Daryl. 

‘Just thought I’d come over and say goodbye before leaving on the run. It’s dangerous; anything could happen out there’ Aiden smirked at her. 

‘I thought you might be coming over here to apologise for your behaviour during the self-defence lesson’ Kat replied sharply. 

‘Why should I apologise for something you clearly wanted?’ Aiden replied. 

‘I think you need some consent lessons. I think you should leave before your morals corrupt the children’ Kat said turning to leave. 

‘So you’re not gonna give me a proper send off?’ Aiden laughed at her retreating form. He didn’t see the glares that Daryl was shooting at his back. 

*****

Kat spent the rest of the day caring for the children until the parents came to pick them up. Kat had just changed clothes, after the ones she was wearing had gotten dirty during the course of looking after four small children. Carol came into the kitchen looking very solemn. 

‘What’s happened?’ Kat asked tentatively, praying that nothing had happened to Daryl. 

‘The run’ Carol whispered and Kat’s gut tightened further. ‘Things went wrong. Aiden and Noah are dead and Tara is in the infirmary.’ Kat gasped. She was relieved that nothing had happened to Daryl but she couldn’t believe that Noah and Aiden were gone. Aiden had been a jack-ass but he didn’t deserve to die. She teared up slightly over Noah. He was so young. He should have had his whole life ahead of him here at Alexandria. 

‘We were supposed to be safe here. No one else was supposed to die’ Kat whispered. 

‘Runs are always dangerous. No matter how safely you think you’re settled. We can’t forget what’s out there. Nicholas and Aiden shouldn’t have been on the run. These people aren’t prepared for how dangerous it can be out there. This just confirms that. Things need to change around here.’ Carol said seriously. 

Kat wasn’t sure what Carol meant. She just moved away to go check on Judith. She still needed to process what had happened. 

By the time Kat returned downstairs, leaving Judith fast asleep, Carol had disappeared. There was a quiet knock on the door and Kat placed the baby monitor on the kitchen counter before going to answer it. 

‘Spencer!’ Kat said surprised. The man at the door was a far cry from who he had been yesterday. He looked awful. His eyes looked void of emotion. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss’ Kat said sincerely. 

‘I don’t really know why I’m here’ Spencer said quietly. ‘I just couldn’t be in the house with my parents anymore. My mom… she just sits there listening to that god awful run mix. I think she blames you guys.’ 

‘Do you want to come in?’ Kat asked. 

Spencer nodded gently and Kat guided him into the house and onto the sofa. She offered him a drink or some food and he asked for a glass of water. She didn’t quite know how to comfort him. She mainly just sat there and listened to him tell stories about his brother. At least sharing his memories was making him smile a bit. He looked out the window and noticed that it was quite dark now. 

‘I’ve taken up too much of your time. I should go’ Spencer said. 

‘If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me’ Kat said gently. She knew the poor man needed someone to help him grieve. She was taken aback when he grabbed her for a tight hug. She awkwardly patted him gently on the shoulder, trying not to encourage him too much. She didn’t want him to get the wrong impression about how she was willing to help him. He reluctantly let go and said a small goodbye before heading back towards the Monroe house. 

Merle happened to walk past and the look he gave her told Kat that he had seen everything that happened at the door. Kat rolled her eyes at him and he snorted out a laugh. She loved that they were close enough that they could have entire conversations without saying a word. 

*****

It was getting later and later and Kat was getting more and more worried about the fact that Aaron and Daryl weren’t back yet. She stood on the front porch watching the gate, hoping they would be back soon. She knew that they might not be back until morning but Kat really wanted him back tonight. After the events of the day, she just wanted to see him back safe. 

A short while later she heard the purring of the motorcycle engine and she ran at a sprint towards the gates. Daryl had barely gotten off his bike when Kat flung herself into his arms. 

‘Not that I’m not happy to see you but what’s this all about?’ Daryl asked her, lifting her chin up with a finger to look into her watery eyes. 

As they walked back to the house, Kat told him about what had happened on the other run. Daryl looked sad and grim about Noah’s death but kept whatever he was feeling close to his chest. ‘I can’t say I’m particularly sad about Aiden though. I don’t like how he was bothering my girl’ Daryl muttered as they entered the house, to find Merle and Carol stood in the kitchen. 

Merle overheard Daryl’s last comment and snorted. ‘It’s his brother, Spencer, that you should be worried ‘bout. He was over here earlier hanging all over Kat.’ 

‘It wasn’t like that. He was grieving the loss of his brother and couldn’t be around his parents anymore’ Kat said, smacking Merle around the shoulder. 

Daryl muttered something under his breath before going upstairs, heading towards their room. 

‘Thanks’ Kat spat sarcastically at Merle before heading after Daryl. She was worried that he was angry that Spencer had been around here. She didn’t know if he was worried about her spending time with Spencer. 

Kat opened the bedroom door just as Daryl had pulled off his shirt that was dirty from the run. Whatever Kat had been about to say fled her mind as she took in the sight of Daryl shirtless. Although she had seen his scars long ago, he was still self-conscious about them and so almost always wore a shirt, even when they were sleeping together. 

Daryl smirked when he took in Kat’s reaction to him. ‘Like somethin’ you see sweetheart?’ he almost purred. 

‘I j-just came to see if you were alright?’ Kat stuttered. 

‘Why wouldn’t I be alright? Because Spencer has been round here after you? I know I have no reason to be jealous. I know you’re mine. I know I’m the only man that gets to touch you. That can make you feel like this’ Daryl said huskily, running a finger up her arm and leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. He had gotten closer and closer to her as he was saying this until he was looking down at her. To anyone else this may have been intimidating but Kat could just feel herself becoming more and more aroused. She had backed up until she hit a wall, wincing as she hit it, she hadn’t thought it was that close. Daryl smirked again, taking in the reaction he was getting from her. 

She had no idea where this confidence in him had come from but Kat loved it. Daryl knew exactly where it had come from. It was true, he knew that he had nothing to worry about when it came to Kat’s fidelity. He had known how lucky he was to have her, when he knew that Spencer and Aiden both wanted her. Yet she still chose to be with him. He was a lucky son of a bitch and he wanted to show her how much he loved her. He didn’t often say it in words but he could say it with his actions. Kat still hadn’t said she loved him after he had said it to her. Plus, he knew that part of his actions were slightly driven by possessiveness. He wanted to prove to everyone that Kat was his and his alone. 

Daryl leaned into Kat’s neck and began ghosting his lips over the areas that he knew would drive her crazy but not quite making contact. 

‘Daryl!’ Kat moaned, hating this teasing. Daryl couldn’t help the soft laugh that broke through and his breath ghosted across her neck. Kat pushed his shoulders playfully, hoping he would stop teasing her. Daryl grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the wall over head as he attacked her neck in earnest, leaving marks on her. Kat couldn’t help the moans escaping her, hoping that nobody downstairs would be able to hear them. 

Daryl released her wrists before grabbing her by her ass and forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist, grinding his hardness against her. He kissed her forcefully and Kat responded with equal amounts of passion. He pulled her away from the wall and towards their bed, unaware that the scene up until that point had been witnessed by someone stood on the street, watching in through the window. The two moved towards the bed and disappeared from the eye line of the window. 

Daryl dropped Kat on the bed and looked down at her. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked, giving her one last chance to back out of what was about to happen between them. 

‘I’m sure about you Daryl’ Kat replied. She looked up at him with such love and lust in her eyes that Daryl groaned. He slowed the pace down and slowly pulled her top over her head. She fumbled with his belt before releasing it and pulling his trousers down to his ankles where he stepped out of them. He pulled her trousers off and fumbled for a moment with her bra before releasing it and throwing it over the side of the bed. They both peeled each other’s underwear off, maintaining eye contact. 

Kat moaned when she realised how hard Daryl was, his tip leaking pre-come. He finally joined her on the bed and lowered himself between her parted legs. His hands trailed down her body, caressing her side, taking in how soft her skin was. Kat moaned at the slightly rough feel of Daryl’s hands on her, his hands calloused from years of work. His hands continued down her body until they reached her centre; he ran a finger along her and was surprised how wet she was for him. She moaned louder as he ran a finger along her clit.

‘Please Daryl! No more teasing. I need you inside me now!’ she moaned.

‘I haven’t done this in a long time. I don’t know how long this will last’ Daryl said softly.

‘I don’t care. I just need you in me. We can figure this out together’ Kat begged him. Next time they could be slow and gentle. She just needed him right now. 

He finally pushed into her and she moaned mostly in pleasure but slightly in pain as she adjusted to his size. Daryl stayed still to allow Kat to adjust and so that he hopefully wouldn’t embarrass himself by finishing too quickly. Kat felt like heaven. Kat slowly bucked her hips against him, needing more now that she had adjusted to his size.   
Daryl tried to take it slow but the pleasure they both felt at finally being joined so intimately forced their pace faster naturally. 

‘I’m not gonna last much longer’ Daryl grunted in effort at holding back. ‘Need you to come first baby girl.’ Daryl reached his hand down and played with her clit and this pushed Kat over the edge as she came, clenching around him. This triggered his own release as they rode out their orgasms together. 

They both flopped back against the pillows, panting. Daryl leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed his shirt. He gently cleaned Kat off with it, then himself before throwing it into the corner to be dealt with later. Kat laid her head on his chest, tracing small patterns around it as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her as close as possible. 

‘I’m sorry it didn’t last long’ Daryl apologised. 

‘It was perfect’ Kat sighed. She looked up at him with so much emotion flooding her. ‘I love you’ she whispered. 

He was overcome for a moment before pouncing on her and devouring her lips once more. ‘I love you so much’ he said over and over again between kisses. For a moment, he could see a life here in Alexandria for the two of them. The picket fence, Kat as his wife, maybe a couple of rugrats. At that moment, surrounded by her in their bed, it seemed like they could have it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve played around with the timelines a bit so that I could add this scene in. The run where Daryl and Aaron get caught in the trap will happen next chapter. This is also my first sex scene so if anyone minds giving me some feedback that would be great. I might rewrite this chapter slightly to improve it.


	29. Chapter 28

Kat and Daryl were out on the streets early the next morning. The streets of Alexandria were quiet as they headed towards the main gates. Daryl and Aaron were heading out on their first longer run together. They would try to find extra people or supplies and return when they found something. Who knew how long they would be out there? 

Kat was solemn as they headed towards the gates. After the night they had last night, she was not looking forward to an extended period without him. The fact that there was no deadline for their return made it worse. She knew they wouldn’t be out there longer than 10 days; that’s the amount of days supplies they were taking with them. It would be a hell of a 10 days though waiting on their return at any moment. 

‘Hey, I’ll be fine’ Daryl said huskily. 

‘I know. You’re totally badass out there’ Kat said, trying to lighten the mood. 

‘I’ll show you badass when I get back’ Daryl teased back. They didn’t expect anyone to be out on the streets that early and so Daryl took the opportunity to smack Kat playfully on the ass. 

Neither of them noticed Spencer marching up behind them until he forcefully grabbed Daryl’s shoulder and pulled him away from Kat. 

‘Don’t you touch her!’ Spencer yelled. 

‘What?’ Daryl snarled back in response to Spencer’s aggression. 

Daryl didn’t have a chance to register what was happening before Spencer’s fist collided with his face. Daryl struggled for a few moments to attempt to get Spencer off of him peacefully but couldn’t do much in the face of Spencer’s rage. He resorted to hitting him back to try and get out of the unprovoked attack. 

Spencer continued to yell senselessly in his rage. The noise had woken many of Alexandria’s inhabitants and they appeared on their porches to watch the spectacle. Many of the members of Rick’s group came running down the road, weapons at the ready to see what the source of the disturbance was. 

Kat didn’t know what had set Spencer off but she didn’t want him or Daryl hurt in the pursuit of subduing him. She tried to get in between the two men to prize them apart from one another. Daryl had become angry and was now not pulling any punches. In the struggle, Spencer landed a punch to Kat’s face that had been intended for Daryl. She was sent reeling backwards, Merle and Carol immediately at her side to see if she was okay. Merle held Carol back when he saw the fury on Kat’s face. She reached under her top and pulled her knife from her sheath. She always carried it, a practice drilled into her since Merle had given it to her all that time ago at the prison. 

She managed to get to Spencer’s side, swept her foot to kick his legs out from under him. This caused Daryl to release the grip he had on the man. Kat then straddled Spencer, promptly stopping his struggle below her by placing her knife to his throat. ‘Spencer, you will stop this. Now!’ Kat yelled. 

Spencer froze in shock, as did the residents of Alexandria who were watching. They looked on, astonished at how fast Kat had managed to get the drop on Spencer. 

‘What is going on?!’ Deanna yelled, not too pleased to find her son with a knife at his throat.

Kat pulled her knife away and placed it back in its sheath and stood, going to check that Daryl was okay. He was bruised and had blood running from a split lip but was otherwise fine. ‘Spencer attacked Daryl. I got him to stop’ Kat explained calmly. 

‘Is that true Spencer?’ Deanna asked sternly as her son stumbled to his feet, looking at Kat in complete shock. 

‘I… I… But I…’ Spencer stuttered.

‘It’s a yes or no question Spencer’ Rick spat at him, him and Michonne approaching them, in their roles as the police force in Alexandria. 

‘Yes but I…’ Spencer began but was cut off by his mother.

‘I can deal with Spencer but he’s not the one who used a weapon’ Deanna asserted. 

‘I only threatened him with it to stop him!’ Kat protested. 

‘Yes well I don’t think the other residents feel safe with you carrying it when you’ve threatened to use it on one of our own people’ Deanna continued. 

‘Just hand it over Kat’ Michonne tried to reason with her. Kat unstrapped the sheath and slapped it down in Michonne’s hand, unhappy with the decision. Rick also seemed to be shaking his head at what was happening. 

‘This is bullshit’ Daryl growled. 

‘Maybe some time on your own to calm down would be a good idea’ Deanna said. A few residents agreeing with her. 

‘She ain’t done nothing wrong!’ yelled Daryl. 

‘If your group want to continue staying here I recommend that this happens to calm things down’ Deanna replied. 

‘Come on’ Michonne said, leading Kat away. Kat shook her head but followed Michonne towards one of the empty houses. 

‘This is bullshit man!’ Daryl spat at Rick. 

‘I know. I know’ Rick replied, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Maybe their plan would have to move forward. 

*****

Kat was sat against the wall on the cot that had been placed in the room. It was a house that seemed to be under construction when the world went to shit. No one had had to use it yet. It seemed to be becoming a makeshift prison. Michonne sat calmly on a chair in the corner. Michonne didn’t agree that Kat deserved to be here but Deanna insisted that someone be with her. 

Daryl stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him. 

‘I thought you were going out with Aaron?’ Michonne asked. 

‘I ain’t leaving with Kat in here’ Daryl growled, looking at Michonne like she was crazy. 

‘Daryl, I’m fine. The run with Aaron is important. You should go’ Kat insisted. 

‘I’m not gonna leave her in here alone. I promise. She’ll be out before you get back. We’re not letting her stay in here long’ Michonne said earnestly. 

‘Go Daryl’ Kat urged. 

He swept over to her and surprised her with a tender kiss on the forehead. She never expected him to show such emotion in front of Michonne. It just showed how much he opened up in front of his family. 

‘It’s that Spencer you should be keeping an eye on’ Daryl growled. 

‘Noted’ said Michonne. 

‘I’ll be back soon’ Daryl promised Kat. 

‘Be safe’ she said softly as he left. 

*****

Kat and Michonne had bantered back and forth for a while. Michonne had put her at ease and it made her feel less like she was being imprisoned. They broke off when there was a gentle knock at the door. Michonne opened the door to reveal Spencer standing on the other side. 

‘Can I have a minute with Kat?’ he asked sheepishly. 

‘I don’t think that’s such a good idea’ Michonne said sternly, not moving aside to let him pass. 

‘Please, I just want to explain myself’ he replied earnestly. 

‘It’s fine Michonne’ Kat said. Michonne was about to talk but Kat cut her off. ‘I think we all know that I can defend myself well enough, with or without the knife’ Kat said for Spencer’s benefit. 

‘Fine but I’m going to be just outside the door’ Michonne frowned. She didn’t like this but it was their choice. Hopefully, this would help smooth the situation over. 

‘Why did you attack Daryl?’ Kat asked sharply as soon as the door had closed behind Michonne. 

‘His actions pushed me over the edge’ Spencer said quietly. 

‘He didn’t do anything to you!’ 

‘Not to me! To you!’ Spencer burst out. 

‘What?’

‘He smacked you on the ass! You looked so sad and after what I saw the night before… I couldn’t stand to see him treat you like that!’ 

‘I don’t understand! What did you see the night before?’

‘After I left your house… I came back later. I just wanted to talk to you some more. You’d been so kind. I looked through your window to see if your light was still on. Just to check if you were awake and if I’d be disturbing you. I saw you both through the window. He kept advancing on you and you looked so scared… backing away. He forced you against the wall… and forced you…’ Spencer trailed off as if the topic might be too painful for Kat to talk about. 

‘You spied on us?’ Kat asked. Her voice was quiet but the tone of her voice was deadly. Spencer looked surprised at the venom in her voice. 

‘I…’ Spencer started.

‘No! Nothing gives you that right. What happens between me and Daryl in our bedroom is our business!’

‘Your bedroom?’ he asked.

‘Yes. We keep it mostly private from the residents of Alexandria but ask anyone in our family and they will tell you that Daryl and I are in a relationship. We share a bedroom. I love him and I have for a long time. I can’t believe you were watching us!’

‘I didn’t see anything past him carrying you away! I thought he was attacking you! I thought…’

‘You thought he was attacking me but waited until the morning after the supposed attack to do anything about it! If it had been true, it would have been a bit too late for your help then Spencer. I was sad that morning because he was leaving!’ 

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know about you and Daryl…’

‘Yeah, well I can’t say I’m all that sorry for defending the man I love. I think you’d better stay away from the both of us for a while.’ 

Spencer nodded and retreated for the door. He looked as if he was about to say something else but obviously decided against it. He opened the door and fled quickly past Michonne, who was glaring daggers at him. 

‘You heard that?’ Kat asked.

‘You weren’t exactly quiet. Just now and last night, from what I heard from Merle’ Michonne smirked. 

Kat’s cheeks turned red and she shook her head. ‘Bitch’ she muttered playfully under her breath. Just like that, the tension fled from the room and they both fell about laughing.

*****

A while later Kat and Michonne were disturbed from their conversation by the sound of smashing glass and shouting out on the street. They both sprang to their feet. Michonne pressed Kat’s knife and sheath into her hands. 

‘Stay here for now. If we need your help I’ll come right back. If I’m not back in 15 minutes, come after me’ Michonne said before running out of the room towards the potential danger. 

The shouting continued and Michonne didn’t return. Kat was seriously considering just leaving anyway. What if Michonne was in trouble? She placed her hand on the door knob when everything suddenly went quiet. What was going on out there?

A few minutes later Michonne reappeared, dragging an unconscious and bloodied Rick through the door, Rosita trailing behind her with a first aid kit. 

‘What the hell happened?’ Kat asked.

‘Pete was abusing Jessie. Rick decided to work out the problems with his fists and then wave a gun around at everyone’ Michonne muttered angrily. 

‘Pete managed to take Rick out?’ asked Kat, surprised.

‘No. I did’ Michonne replied grimly. This shocked Kat even more. Kat helped Michonne lie Rick down on the cot. Rosita then got to work at patching up Rick. ‘Rick had this planned. He got a gun somehow. I don’t know who else knows about this. He has something planned’ Michonne whispered to Kat. 

Kat ran through her interactions with Daryl the last couple of days. He was Rick’s right hand man. If Rick had something planned, Daryl would know about it. Her chest ached at the thought that he was keeping something this big from her. ‘This violence. This isn’t us. This is too like the people we fight against… the governor… the termites…’ Kat whispered. 

She was broken from her reverie by Deanna appearing in the doorway. ‘Michonne, I’d like you to keep him in here for a while until things calm down and I can decide the way to proceed. Kat, you can leave now but I’d like a word with you.’

Kat nodded and followed Deanna silently all the way back to her house and into her office. ‘Spencer told me what happened. I understand that you were protecting the man you love but I can’t allow you to go around attacking our residents’ Deanna began. 

‘It wasn’t an unprovoked attack’ Kat said firmly, she was going to be taking any shit from Deanna. 

‘I understand. I can’t help but think that this might have been avoided if you were more up front with Spencer about your relationship with Daryl.’ 

‘Daryl and I aren’t exactly public with our affections but our relationship is no secret. I did nothing to make Spencer think that I was unattached.’ 

‘I have to say that I understand the reasoning behind Spencer’s attack. With the way he said that Daryl was mistreating you…’ 

‘My relationship with Daryl is not open for discussion Deanna. Daryl does not mistreat me in any way. He would rather die than hurt me intentionally.’ 

‘Just know that if you do need any help…’ 

Kat broke Deanna off. ‘You just think the absolute worst of him don’t you! Let me make this clear to you then, since you don’t seem to understand. Daryl handled me roughly in passion. He did not touch me in any way that I didn’t enjoy. Spencer shouldn’t have been watching through the window like a pervert!’ 

‘You can’t blame us for thinking the worst of Daryl. He doesn’t exactly help himself. He has been surly and stand offish since he arrived. The two fights involving your group have also not helped the residents here anymore accepting of your group.’ 

‘They also involved residents of your community!’

‘We had no problems before your group arrived.’ 

‘Maybe you did and you just ignored them.’ 

‘Either way, I’m sure you can understand when I say that I don’t think the residents will want to leave their children in your care anymore.’ 

Kat thought about protesting, she loved looking after the kids but she just nodded solemnly. She could still look after Judith. 

‘We could always use more people going on runs. Now we’ve all seen the skills you possess I don’t think anyone could doubt that you can handle yourself out there. Maybe you should ask Merle to go with you. His hunting is useful but we are running out of freezer space for all the animals he’s catching’ Deanna suggested. Kat smirked at that. Merle had been spending so much time out in the forest, not feeling like he was fitting in in Alexandria. Alexandria had more meat than it knew what to do with. 

‘I’ve decided that we’ll have a community meeting tonight to discuss what has happened. Spencer was in the wrong but I can’t allow people to feel threatened within these walls. In your case, I intend for the meeting to just be a warning that I will not allow this to happen again. We also need to discuss why you felt the need to hide your skills from us. However, the meeting will mainly focus on what the community wants to happen to Rick. We can’t allow this violence to continue’ Deanna sighed and looked considerably older for a moment. ‘You can go now.’ 

Kat took exception to being dismissed like a child but decided to pick her battles. She turned her back and left the room. 

*****

Daryl cursed. He and Aaron had been searching for the man in the red poncho when they’d come across the food factory. Aaron had persuaded him that although the man was important, they had lost track of him. They had the chance to bring home a trailer full of cans. They’d walked straight into the trap. The trailers had all sprung open releasing a herd walkers after them and into the path to the exit. They were now trapped in a car, surrounded by the hoard, with little to no hope of getting out of this alive. If they had time, they could wait out the walkers but the note in Aarons hand that read: ‘It’s a trap. Bad people coming. Don’t stay’ destroyed that hope. 

‘What?’ Aaron asked at Daryl’s odd expression.

‘I came out here to... not feel all closed up back there. Even now, this still feels more like me... than back in them houses. That's pretty messed up, huh?’ Daryl replied.

‘You were trying’ Aaron insisted. 

‘I had to. For Kat. She deserves all that. I want to give it all to her’ Daryl muttered.

‘No, you didn't have to. You know full well that she’d follow you anywhere. She loves you. Listen, I saw you with your group out there on the road. Then you and Kat went off on your own by the barn. Storm hit and you led your people to safety. That was it. I knew I had to bring you people back. You were right. We should have kept looking for that guy in the poncho. I shouldn't have given up. You didn’t’ Aaron chastised himself.

Daryl sighed and then got a cigarette out. ‘I'll go. I'll lead them out. You make a break for the fence.’

‘No, no, no. This was my fault’ Aaron said.

‘It wasn't a question. And this ain't your decision. It ain't nobody's fault. Just let me finish my smoke first’ Daryl replied. He wished that he had a photo of Kat. He would love to be able to look at her one last time.

‘No. You don't draw them away. We fight. We go for the fence. We do it together. All right? Whether we make it or not, we do it together. We have to. Besides Kat would kill me if I came back without you’ Aaron attempted to lighten the mood.

‘All right’ Daryl agreed. He only agreed for Kat. He needed to get back to her. He stubbed his cigarette out on the seat. No time like the present. ‘You ready?’

‘Yeah’ replied Aaron nervously, readying his weapon. 

‘We'll go on three. One, two—‘ Daryl began but was cut off when a walkers head smashed against the window. Had someone come to their rescue or had the bad people come?  
The car door was opened and a man appeared to be taking down walkers with just a wooden cane. Was he crazy? He helped Aaron and Daryl fight their way to the gate, managing to close the gates to block off the walkers. 

‘That was-- oh-- thank you. I'm Aaron, this is Daryl’ Aaron thanked the man.

‘Morgan’ he replied. 

‘Why?’ asked Daryl suspiciously. 

‘Why? Because all life is precious, Daryl’ Morgan replied. 

‘Whoever set that trap, they're coming. But I have good news. We do. We have a community not too far from here. Walls, electricity, it's safe. If you'd like to come join us…’ Aaron invited him.

‘I thank you. But I'm on my way somewhere. Fact is, I'm lost, so... if you could tell me where we are’ Morgan said, handing a map towards Daryl. Daryl looked down and saw the note that Abraham had written for Rick all that time ago, trying to get Rick to follow them to Washington. Was this man following them?

*****

Kat was hoping that Daryl would be back before the meeting. She could really have done with his support. But she was the one who had told him to go on the run and there was no sign of him yet. 

‘You coming?’ asked Carol. 

‘Yeah’ Kat gave her a small smile and they began to set off through the dark streets. ‘I guess I wasn’t as good an actress as you.’

‘It was the pressure of the situation. You were defending Daryl. I can at least keep up the act.’ 

‘There was another reason behind us acting weak wasn’t there. There’s some kind of plot that Rick’s got, isn’t there? I don’t like being involved in it and being lied to’ Kat said before walking faster, leaving Carol behind her. 

She approached the meeting and sat alone in the corner. She felt so conflicted. After a while, the seats began to fill up but there were still people missing. 

‘We're going to start’ Deanna said.

‘Can we wait? There's still people coming. Glenn, Rick’ Maggie asked.

‘We're going to start. It's already dark. We're going to talk about what happened. Not the fights. Not what precipitated it. We're dealing with that. We’re going to talk about Kat pretending to not know how to fight and we're going to talk about one of our constables, Rick Grimes. We're going to talk about how he had a pistol he stole from the armory, about how he pointed it at people. And we're going to talk about what he said. I was hoping he'd be here’ Deanna informed the crowd.

‘She said he's coming’ Michonne countered.

‘I'm sure he'll be here. And I'm sure we can work this all out’ Carol simpered. Kat rolled her eyes. Now that she knew there was some other purpose to the act, she couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t to help them fit into this community at all. 

‘Well while we wait to see whether he’ll show up, why don’t we start with Kat? Now the reasons behind the fight that broke out between her, Daryl and Spencer have been revealed and have been dealt with. I have been assured that there will be no more incidents in regards to that. What the community does need to know is why you felt the need to lie about your ability to defend yourself?’ 

‘We… I know I look like the weak link within the group. Besides Carl and Judith, I look like the youngest. Like I can’t defend myself. I used to be that person. I thought if you didn’t see me as a threat as well that it might help to build bridges between the communities. And it worked for a while. You trusted me with your children, I talked to their parents. I was making friends and introducing the groups to one another. I didn’t act like a completely different person. I’m still me. I just didn’t tell you that I can defend myself as well as anyone else in the group. If you don’t learn those skills out there, then you don’t survive. I owe everything to Rick, Daryl and Merle for teaching me those skills. They’ve kept me alive’ Kat said her speech before sitting down. Carol gave her a glare, knowing that Kat’s words also hinted at her charade. Seemingly, none of the Alexandrians seemed to pick up on it though. 

Some talk broke out between the Alexandrians before Deanna broke through the talk again. ‘Very well. I can understand the reasons behind your lies. I can’t deny that you were helping to bridge gaps in the community. However, I think I speak for all of us when I say it will take a while to rebuild that trust. That’s all that will be said on the matter.’ Many of the Alexandrians nodded their heads in agreement. 

‘Now onto the matter of Rick. Would anyone like to speak on his behalf since he hasn’t graced us with his presence yet?’ Deanna asked. Maggie had left quickly to see if she could find Rick or any of the others that were missing. 

Carol, Michonne, Maggie and Abraham all spoke on Rick’s behalf, trying to persuade the crowd that they needed Rick. Kat smirked at Abraham’s delivery with lots of swear words, which seemed to offend some of the residents. Kat couldn’t think of anything to add and she probably wasn’t the best ambassador for their group right now, so she stayed silent.   
Deanna then moved on to ask whether any of the Alexandrians wanted to add anything for or against Rick. Tobin had just started speaking when Rick appeared with a body over his shoulder and covered in blood. He threw the body, which happened to be a walker, next to the fire. The Alexandrians all moved away from him, where as Kat and the group all seemed to tense, in case there was a situation that needed dealing with. Kat’s hand slid to the handle of her knife. 

‘There wasn't a guard on the gate. It was open’ Rick said.

‘I asked Gabriel to close it’ Spencer told his mother. 

‘Go’ Deanna ordered and Spencer took off at a run. 

‘I didn't bring it in. It got inside on its own. They always will… the dead and the living, because we're in here. And the ones out there... they'll hunt us. They'll find us. They'll try to use us. They'll try to kill us. But we'll kill them. We'll survive. I'll show you how. You know, I was thinking… I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives? But I'm not gonna do that. You're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Luck runs out’ Rick told them all. 

‘You're not one of us. You're not one of us!’ screamed Pete, appearing behind Rick. He was carrying Michonne’s sword.

‘Pete, you don't want to do this’ Reg said, getting in between Pete and Rick, trying to keep the peace. Kat pulled her knife free. Pete looked completely crazed.

‘Get the hell away from me, Get away from me’ Pete screamed at Reg and pushed Reg away. But he pushed Reg away with the hand that carried the sword. The sword sliced easily through Reg’s throat. Kat looked away, distraught. Reg was a good man but there was nothing anyone could do as he bled out in Deanna’s arms as Deanna screamed hysterically.   
Abraham had managed to pin a still screaming Pete to the ground.

Deanna went silent as Reg died in her arms. ‘Rick... ...do it.’ 

Rick aimed his pistol and killed Pete. 

‘Rick?’ asked a shocked voice that had appeared in the gateway. An unknown man, Aaron and Daryl all stared at Rick, shocked by what they had just seen happen in front of them. Kat flew towards Daryl and wrapped her arms around him. Everything was so overwhelming right now. He dropped his crossbow to catch her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. They were both glad to be reunited after all that had happened to them both in such a short space of time.


	30. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit more angsty.

The aftermath of Reg and Pete’s death was almost a blur for Kat. She had been so relieved that Daryl had come back but now everything was sinking in. Reg and Pete had died and Deanna wasn’t in a fit state to lead Alexandria at the moment. She resented everyone in their group for what had happened. Glenn and Nicolas had turned up injured. Morgan had shown up with Daryl and Aaron but everyone was suspicious of his motives. Daryl and Aaron had almost been killed in a trap while out there. As a positive side, Tara had finally woken up. 

What was really eating at Kat was the fact that Rick had had a plan to take over Alexandria. Carol and Daryl had known about it and Daryl hadn’t said anything to her. She just didn’t know how to feel about that. 

Daryl had picked up on her quietness and asked her about it in his abrupt way. ‘What’s eating at ya?’ 

‘Rick’s plan to take over.’

‘What about it?’ Daryl asked quietly.

‘You knew’ she stated, not questioned. 

‘Yeah I knew.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Rick and Carol said to keep it between us. There’s gonna be times I can’t tell you things.’

‘You told me about Rick’s plan to give Michonne to the Governor when you weren’t supposed to! How is this different?’

‘Yeah and look what happened then. You ran off with Merle and Michonne! You put yourself in danger!’ Daryl argued back.

‘And saved your brother’s life!’

‘I didn’t know whether this was going to happen or not. It was more of a backup plan. There was no need to involve you. You were happy here!’

‘You involved me when you asked me to play the weak female card’ Kat said that and then sighed, all of the fight leaving her. ‘I just need some time to get my head around everything that has happened.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Daryl suddenly looked terrified that he was about to lose her.

‘No, no, no! I don’t mean like that’ Kat replied. 

Daryl looked relieved and sighed. He took her hands gently in his, rubbing his calloused thumbs over the back of her hand. ‘I can give you a bit of space for a few days. Just promise me you won’t give us up.’ 

‘I don’t know how much space I want but I promise I’m not giving up on us’ Kat said honestly. She didn’t want to avoid Daryl completely, she still needed him. She just needed some time to get her head on straight. 

They settled on a compromise of no intimacy other than sharing their bed. They gave each other more space during the days but came together at night. They slept wrapped up in each other’s arms, reassuring each other that they were still there and that this would work out eventually. 

Kat kept herself busy. She went to visit Tara, who was still being kept in the infirmary. She also started in her new position as someone who went out on runs. She went out on a short run, just for the day, with Heath. Heath, Holly and Scott had turned up outside the gates of Alexandria shortly after Reg’s death. They had been on a run for a couple of weeks and so hadn’t met any of Alexandria’s new occupants yet. Heath seemed particularly suspicious of them all. 

He had been fairly stiff and stern at first on their hunt. He didn’t trust taking someone out for the first time. Before they had left he had made sure that she knew that she had to follow his every instruction. Kat hadn’t been too sure about doing this after what had happened with Aiden and Nicolas but she had agreed just to keep the peace. Her fears were put aside once they actually went out on the run. They were raiding a pharmacy a few miles away, they were hoping that it hadn’t been looted too badly that there might still be some useful things for the infirmary. Heath knew exactly what he was doing and Kat followed his orders without question. They took out the few walkers inside with ease and managed to scavenge what was left in the pharmacy. Heath seemed surprised by Kat’s ability to take down the walkers. 

They got out of the car once they got back. ‘You go clean up. I’ll make sure this stuff gets to the infirmary’ Heath told her. She had managed to get herself covered in walker blood with one of her kills. 

‘I look that bad?’ Kat laughed. 

‘Yeah, you do. Don’t want to scare the residents’ Heath dead-panned. Kat turned to head towards the house and a shower. She stopped when Heath called out to her. ‘You did good for your first run.’ 

Kat smiled and he returned the smile. ‘You know it’s not actually my first run right? It’s just my first run since I’ve been here.’

‘Yeah. I knew that. I just meant…’ he tried to backtrack.

‘I know. Thanks. I appreciate it’ Kat said with a smile. She turned and headed back to the house with a small smile on her face. She felt more valuable to the community by doing this rather than babysitting. Plus she seemed to have broken through Heath’s suspicious exterior. 

She had entered the house and despite the fact that she was covered in walker blood, she was immediately wrapped in Daryl’s arms. He swooped her up as soon as she had walked through the door and seemed to squeeze her extra tight, reassuring himself that she was back. She surrendered to the embrace and squeezed him back.

‘You’re covered in walker blood now’ she laughed in his ear.

‘I don’t care’ he whispered back. She smiled and just continued to embrace him. Things were slowly getting better again in Alexandria.

*****

Kat should have known that their luck wouldn’t last that long. Rick and Morgan had discovered a huge herd of walkers trapped in a quarry nearby. Everyone had piled into Deanna’s living room to discuss what was going to happen.

‘My team... we saw it early on, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers. Maybe a dozen of them’ Heath explained.

‘No one's been back since?’ Maggie asked.

‘DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself.’

‘So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in’ Michonne added.

‘And here we are. Now what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon’ Rick said.

‘This is-- I don't even have another word for it. This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way’ Carol spoke up, still seemingly playing the meek act.

‘Maybe there is. I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew-- we can try and make it safe’ Carter argued.

‘Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day. Building up the exits won't change that’ Rick explained. 

‘We're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out’ Deanna said firmly.

‘I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away’ Rick began. Kat looked at Daryl and nodded. Daryl had already told her that this was going to happen and what Rick had asked him to do. It was part of him trying to show her that she could trust him again.

‘Me, too. I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep 'em coming, Daryl keeps 'em from getting sloppy’ Sasha added.

‘I'll go with her. It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo’ Abraham volunteered.

‘We'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?’ Rick asked.

‘Me’ Michonne said immediately.

‘Me too’ Kat added. Daryl frowned at her. He knew that she was going to volunteer but he didn’t want her to. He wanted her in Alexandria, out of harms way. 

‘I’m with ya’ Merle said. 

‘I'm in’ Glenn added.

‘I'd like to help as well’ Gabriel said but was immediately shut down by Rick.

‘No. Who else? We need more.’

‘There's got to be another play. We can't just control that many’ Carter continued to argue.

‘I said it before, walkers herd up. They'll follow a path if something's drawing them. That's how we can get 'em all at once’ Rick repeated.

‘So, what? We're supposed to just take your word for it? We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after...’

‘After what?’

‘After you wave a gun around screaming, pointing it at people. After you shoot a man in the face. After you… and her… threaten people’ Carter indicated Kat.

‘She’s fine’ Heath silenced him, nodding at Kat in solidarity. 

‘Enough!’ Deanne silenced him. The atmosphere remained tense within the room. 

‘I'll do it’ Heath volunteered, nodding at Kat. It seemed to be with her help that he was starting to trust their group.

‘Me, too’ Holly volunteered.

‘Whatever you need, I'm in’ Tobin added.

‘Now who else?’ Deanna asked.

‘I'll go. We have to do this. I need to help’ Nicolas volunteered but everyone looked very resistant to the idea of him helping.

‘You sure you can handle it?’ Rick questioned.

‘You need people’ Nicolas shrugged.

‘We'll make this work. We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe. We will’ Rick reassured them. 

‘The plan. Go through it again’ Carter demanded.

‘Man, he just said it’ Daryl retorted.

‘Every part again. The exact plan.’ 

*****

The next few days passed quickly. Everyone was preparing to put the plan into action. The biggest part was the construction of the wall. It would keep the walkers on track and away from Alexandria. Kat and Daryl were so tired by the end of the day that they would just collapse onto the bed and most times just fall asleep straight away. They would always wake tangled in each other’s arms though. Kat knew that she had almost completely forgiven Daryl for what had happened. 

They would talk some nights. Daryl making sure to confide in her about everything that was happening. What had happened seemed to have opened a floodgate within him. He realised that he had always been holding back from Kat. He had vowed to himself that he wouldn’t make the same mistake. Everything that was going through his mind was revealed to Kat as they lay facing each other in bed. 

He told her about Rick wanting to stop looking for people to bring back and how he disagreed with that. Kat had encouraged him to voice his opinion to Rick and he had done just that. He also told her about how Carter seemed to be trying to start some sort of uprising against Rick and that she should be wary of some of the Alexandrians, Carter in particular. 

*****

It finally came to the day that they were going to run through the plan. It was all going smoothly until they were standing looking out over the quarry. 

‘This is where it all starts tomorrow. Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike…’ Rick was explaining. 

‘You see that?’ asked Sasha. Kat turned to see one of the trucks on the far side of the quarry that had been containing the walkers, fall off the side. The walkers were free. 

‘It's open! We got to do this now! We're doing this now! Tobin's group, get moving, go!’ Rick yelled, people dashing into action.

‘No, Rick, we're not ready’ Carter yelled, as if they had any other choice.

‘Sasha! Abraham!’ Rick yelled. 

‘Damn straight, we'll do it live’ Abraham confirmed.

‘You meet Daryl at red. Let him take them through the gauntlet’ Rick ordered.

‘Yeah, we meet at red’ Sasha confirmed.

‘Go!’ Rick yelled.

‘Rick, I'll hit the tractor place’ Glenn told Rick. Glenn grabbed Heath by the arm. ‘We got to take them out or they'll distract the horde.’ 

Heath nodded. ‘I’m with you as well’ Kat volunteered. 

‘No’ Daryl disagreed, appearing by her side. He pulled her aside as Glenn began arguing with Nicolas.

‘I’ll be fine. I have to do this. You have your own job to do. Come back to me safely’ Kat grabbed him by the vest and planted a deep kiss on his lips. He barely had any time to respond before Kat let him go. ‘I love you.’ She then turned and disappeared before Daryl had the chance to say anything else to her. 

Glenn, Nicolas, Heath and Kat began running down the road towards the tractor place. They set off a few flares as they went, encouraging the walkers to leave the quarry in the right direction. They managed to make it to the store with little interference from any other walkers. 

‘We're here’ Glenn announced. They approached the store and could see all of the walkers lined up at the windows, banging on them, trying desperately to get out. 

‘Sounds like a lot’ Nicolas commented.

‘We need it quiet’ said Glenn, thinking of how they could do that.

‘So what's the plan?’ Heath asked.

‘Take 'em out a few at a time’ Glenn said stoically. They all followed him around to the side of the store. ‘Nicholas, you're at the door. All right. You let one or two out and then you close it. You keep doing that. That's the trick. That's how we control it. Heath…’ 

‘Wait, what if he can't close it?’ Heath questioned. 

‘I'll be able to’ Nicolas said firmly.

‘Then Kat is stood nearby. If Nicolas can’t shut it Kat helps. If it’s too much then we take them on’ Glenn strategized. 

‘We take them on?’ Heath asked, as if Glenn was crazy.

‘If we get into trouble, we go behind the building into the woods and we draw them away.’

‘Hey, you've been out on runs since he got here. He knows what he's doing. Me and Aiden, we didn't’ Nicolas agreed. 

Heath looked at Kat to be a voice of reason and to disagree with this crazy plan. ‘I would trust Glenn with my life’ was all Kat added. She drew her gun and loaded it, making sure the safety was off and made sure her knife was close at hand.

‘This was supposed to be a dress rehearsal’ Heath sighed.

‘I'm supposed to be delivering pizzas, man. Daryl's leading them this way and they're closing in. That noise is gonna pull the herd right off the road and then we have serious trouble. We have to do this. On three. Ready? One... two... three!’ Glenn pried the door open and Nicolas braced himself against the door.

‘Shit!’ Glenn swore. Behind the doors, were shutters. There was no way they could control the walkers coming out from these doors. 

They filed back around to the windows at the front of the store. The only option was to break one of them to allow the walkers out. 

‘This is a bad idea’ Nicolas said. 

‘This is the only idea’ Glenn countered. They were out of other options.

‘I think there's something like a dozen in there’ Nicolas said. 

‘We stay back, we get on opposite ends, we draw them to each of us’ Glenn instructed. 

‘Try and take down three each?’ Nicolas asked. 

‘No. This is just me, Kat and Heath. You get back and you stay back. Things go south, you tell Rick and you draw them away. Just move back’ Glenn said. He clearly didn’t trust Nicolas in this situation. Nicolas looked as though he was going to argue but instead reluctantly moved back. 

‘We could use him’ Kat tried to argue, thinking that the more people they had the better against the unknown number of walkers inside.

‘He got Noah killed and tried to kill me in the woods. I don’t trust him. He stays back there. You ready?’ Glenn asked Heath and Kat.

‘I’m with you all the way’ Kat nodded.

‘No. But since you're doing this thing anyway...’ Heath said, still looking at them like they were both crazy.

‘All right’ breathed Glenn. He raised his gun and shot out one of the windows. The walkers began to slowly file out of the window. They were able to pick them off slowly one by one as they left the tractor store. But there were more walkers than they expected.

‘They're still coming’ yelled Heath. 

All of them needed to reload their guns and the brief break in bullets allowed the walkers to get close to the three shooters. Kat managed to take a couple out with her knife before seeing that Heath was struggling with one. She ran over and stabbed the walker through the side of the head. She didn’t see another walker sneaking up behind her. She was saved from a bit as Nicolas ran forward and took it out with his knife.

‘Thanks’ Kat nodded at the man.

The stream of walkers had stopped coming out of the building. One lone walkers stumbled out. Glenn had witnessed Nicolas saving Kat and nodded at him with a bit more trust. 

‘Get it’ Glenn told the man. Nicolas went forward and took the walker out. ‘Good. Let's go.’ With that, the four of them turned their backs on the tractor store and began to run back to the rest of the group. 

*****

They ran for a while, trying to find where the rest of the group had gotten to in the forest. They heard a whistle that Rick was using to communicate with the group and headed in that direction, finding them, nodding to tell Rick that the tractor store was taken care of. They stopped for a moment to watch all the walkers parading past. 

‘You ok?’ Merle asked Kat. 

‘Fine’ Kat said, she could tell him about her close call with the walker when they weren’t so close to a massive hoard. 

‘It's working. You were right’ Carter admitted, shaking Rick’s hand.

‘Everyone, we need to finish this. We have to keep moving and fan out down that thing front to back. Like we said, cops at a parade. Glenn, Merle and Kat, you take the back. You got the other walkie. Got it. If it gets sloppy, we fire our weapons, pull them back on track’ Rick instructed.

‘I'll hit the front’ Carter said.

‘Okay, one after the other’ Rick said, before everyone started fanning out, Glenn, Merle and Kat sprinting for the back of the line. 

They’d reached the back of the line when they heard a terrible screaming. Something had gone wrong. Merle and Kat exchanged solemn looks. Kat looked as though she wanted to run off to make sure that no one was in trouble. 

‘We have to stay back here’ Glenn said. He reached for the walkie to question what was going on just as Rick and Tobin could be heard talking. Tobin and his group started firing guns on the other side of the track to pull the walkers back into line, the ones that had drifted off to investigate the screaming. Carter had been bitten and Rick had to put him down. 

It seemed to be going well until a loud constant horn sounded. It echoed through the trees. For a second, the walkers seemed to stop to see where the noise was coming from. Then they started following the sound, heading straight towards them.

‘What the hell is happening?’ asked Heath.

‘It's a horn or something. It's pulling the back half off the road. Oh, God’ Glenn replied.

Merle grabbed Kat’s hand and began pulling her into a run. ‘Come on princess’ he yelled. All of a sudden they were running from the biggest hoard they had ever encountered. They were running for their lives once more.


End file.
